Begging for Mercy
by LostGetFound
Summary: Set a while after City of Glass. Jace and Clary. Fluff and fighting. Jace flew forward, tackling the demon and throwing the knife from its hand. He punched the demon hard in its face, effectively breaking its nose. "I. Told. You. Not. To. Touch. Her."
1. Chapter 1

_**Set a while after City of Glass. Jace and Clary. Fluff and fighting. Pleeeeeeeease review. **_

_** Disclaimer: Though I wish it were otherwise, I do not own Jace or anything else in this fic. **_

"Come here," he grinned at me. That was all he had to do and my knees went weak.

"Hmmm…" I pretended to think about it. "I don't know… "

"Come on," he whined. "How can you resist this gorgeous body?" I rolled my eyes. That ego shouldn't be attractive, but on him, it worked. He gave me a confident, you-know-you-love-me look.

"Jace," I said exasperatedly, "You are so full of it."

"I know," he told me. "But you love me anyway." Of course I did, as he knew all too well. "So, are you going to come here or do I have to come get you?"

I was standing less than a yard away from him, but for Jace that was too much distance. He wanted me in his arms. Jace had been this way ever since we had found out that we weren't related. He couldn't stand being separated, and I loved seeing him like that because I felt the same way.

I took a step forward, but he had already moved to meet me. Wrapped in his arms, I felt safe. I felt as if we were two normal teens, not two shadowhunters who were on a mission to kill demons. The embrace couldn't last for that very reason.

"Jace," I reminded him gently. "We're here for the demons."

We were at Pandemonium with Isabelle and Alec on a mission. While Izzy and Alec scoped out the field, Jace and I had slipped away for some alone time in a storage room. It just so happened to be the very same storage room where I had first seen Jace two years ago. We were hidden behind a large row of shelves to where anyone who came in wouldn't see us. By anyone, of course I meant Isabelle or Alec.

Ignoring my own words, I snuggled closer into Jace. He smelled of sweat and newly applied marks. On most guys, that smell would be a turn off, but on Jace it just made him hotter and more masculine. "_You _may be here for the demons, Clary, but I am here because of you," he whispered in my ear. "Someone's got to keep you from getting yourself killed. You're still too inexperienced to protect yourself in a hostile situation without me."

"You're one to talk," I told him. Jace had a talent for almost getting himself killed. If I didn't know better, I would think that he did it on purpose. The way he always managed to pick the demon that was the most dangerous. I sighed inwardly. Who was I trying to kid? I knew he did it on purpose.

"With my godlike looks and reflexes, no one could even come close to killing me," Jace assured me. I knew him well enough to be able to tell that his confidence wasn't fake, but it was exaggerated. A lot of people and demons had come very close to killing Jace.

"Sure." I love sarcasm. It gets the point across so well.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jace asked. "Don't you believe me? Just wait till we get back to the institute. One round in the training room with me, and you'll be begging for mercy." His hand brushed over the knife hidden in my waistband.

"Actually, you'll be the one begging for mercy."

"Why would that be?" His tone conveyed his disbelief.

"Because I'd be doing this." I kissed the spot on his neck where my head had been resting. Taking my time, I covered Jace's neck and face with similar kisses. His face was perfect and his skin was flawless, though I'd never tell him that. He was already over-confident enough; I didn't need it any worse. I moved my mouth to meet his, and he kissed me fiercely and protectively.

I was so lost in our kiss that at first, I didn't hear the door open. Jace broke away from me, but still held me close. "Clary," he whispered sharply.

"What?" I asked, coming back to the real world.

"There's someone here." I became aware of voices in the background, one soft and seductive, the other higher and worried. It wasn't Alec and Isabelle, but it could be anyone. Jace looked worried which probably meant it was a demon. "It could be two kids off for a good time." His voice said that he didn't believe that. "Let's go check it out."

We snuck along behind the shelves until we came to a view point. Looking into the room, I saw a teenage girl dressed for a party and a tall dark-haired boy who was advancing closer to her as she shrunk away from him.

"We don't need to be in here," she said. She was obviously hoping he would agree with her and leave.

"I don't think anyone will notice," he said nonchalantly. He had her backed into a corner now.

"Stay here," Jace whispered. Before I could stop him, Jace sprang forward. See what I mean about his purposeful talent for almost getting killed? "I think someone already has," he told the demon.

The demon turned; alarmed that it had been discovered. Seeing only Jace, it relaxed. "Shadowhuter," it laughed. "What are you doing here all alone? I thought your people traveled in packs."

"It only takes one shadowhunter to take care of a piece of trash like you." Jace was expecting me to stay safe and hidden like a good little girl. Too bad for him.

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," the demon countered. In the blink of an eye, the demon had drawn a knife and sprung forward. He and Jace became locked together in a deadly brawl. Leaving Jace to handle the bad guy, I rushed over to help the girl. She was cowering in the corner. I pulled her to her feet and sent her hurrying across the room to the door.

When she was gone, I went back to where Jace and the demon were fighting. Jace had pulled out a seraph blade. They were pretty evenly matched, which was bad for Jace because the demon healed from his blows with inhuman speed. But Jace was holding his own. He gouged the demon in the ribs with his knife, but it was only a flesh wound. The demon kept fighting. I couldn't join the fight for fear of hurting Jace.

I drew my own blade. As quickly as he had drawn the knife, the demon sprung away from Jace. Before I could stab him, he grabbed me and held his knife to my throat.

"Back away or the girl dies," the demon said. Jace immediately backed away. "Still think you're going to win, Shadowhunter? Or shall I kill your pretty plaything to prove otherwise."

When he grabbed me, the thing had forced me to drop my knife. It was now lying uselessly some yards away. Jace was looking at me determinedly. His eyes bore into mine as if he was trying to tell me something. But what?

"Are you going to answer, Shadowhunter, or do I have to decide for you?" the demon asked. He pushed the blade until it touched my neck. I could feel the cold metal against my skin as it drew a small line of blood.

"If you hurt her, I swear I will kill you," Jace said vehemently. "You'll die begging for mercy."

"Tsk, tsk, Shadowhunter. You are not in a position to be making threats." Begging for mercy? Was he serious or was that a hint? That jogged my memory. Jace had made me hide another knife in a sheath in the waist of my skirt. If I could reach it, I could stab the demon in the stomach. The demon pulled the knife away to where I could breathe again. I slid my hand up, being careful not to alert the demon to my movements.

Yes! I had it. "He might not be," I told the demon. "But I am." I pushed the blade into its stomach. Before it so much as left a gash, he was already backing up.

Jace flew forward, tackling the demon and throwing the knife from its hand. He punched the demon hard in its face, effectively breaking its nose. "I. Told. You. Not. To. Touch. Her." Between each word, he punched the demon. It now had a gash in its stomach, a bloody nose, and probably a few broken ribs. Jace looked as if he wanted to murder the thing.

"Jace!" I called. "Just kill it already."

"But it needs to suffer," he said, hitting it again. The demon looked as if it were unconscious. Sometimes Jace took protecting me a little too far. "She's mine," he continued like I hadn't interrupted. "And that means when I say don't touch her, you… Don't. Touch Her." Finally, he picked up the demon's discarded knife and ran it through the demon's heart. Or the place its heart would be if it had one.

We watched its body disintegrate. When it was gone, Jace rushed over to me. "Are you okay?" he asked. He took my face gently in hands and inspected my throat.

"It's just a scratch," I told him. He didn't look as if he believed me. Jace continued to inspect my face and arms. When he was satisfied that I wasn't harmed, he wrapped me in his arms and held me. We didn't say anything. We didn't have to. He was content to hold me, and I was content to be held.

We stayed that way until the door opened, bringing us back to reality. "Hey," came Isabelle's voice. "All clear on the demons." She didn't look surprised to find us here, but when she upon closer inspection, her expression changed. "What happened to you guys?"

"Are they in there?" Alec's voice came from behind her. He pushed into the room and his eyes widened too. "What happened?"

"You two missed all the fun," Jace grinned. He bent to pick up my knife from the floor. Handing it to me, he headed for the door. "Maybe you'll get lucky and we'll tell you about it."

He turned back to me and took my hand. His grin changed into a genuine smile as he said, "Let's go home."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Thanks to everyone who reviewed or favorited or all that other good stuff! I should probably be working on my other fic, but it's no where near done, and I want to write about Clary and Jace. I just randomly decided to write this fic yesterday, so just so you know, I don't really know where it's going. This is just about them going back to the institute. Mostly dialogue and Clary's thoughts about Jace.**_

_**Disclaimer: I am not Cassandra Clare, so I don't own MI. Which means I **_**still**_** don't own Jace. *sigh***_

"Please, Simon. You know you want to." That was the only part of Isabelle's conversation with Simon that the rest of us could hear. If I hadn't known better, from the tone of her voice, I would have assumed that Isabelle wanted to as she sometimes put it, "have her way with him." I could tell from the look on Alec's face that he was thinking the same thing.

Isabelle's intention tonight was a little more innocent. She was trying to convince Simon to give us a ride back to the Institute. I had already failed, and it didn't look as if his girlfriend was having much better luck. Simon and Isabelle had a weird relationship. They had an on-again-off-again relationship. They clearly liked each other, but neither one was sure what they wanted. It didn't help matters that every time they broke up, Simon went back to Maia, his werewolf ex.

Isabelle continued to try to convince Simon. Alec looked slightly disturbed by the way his sister was talking to the vampire. When she noticed this, she stopped long enough to say, "Oh, shut up, Alec. Like you don't do the same thing with Magnus."

I tried unsuccessfully not to laugh. Jace didn't bother to hide his laugh, changing it into a cough when Alec glared at him. Isabelle ignored us and went back to her phone call. "Please, Si." It amazed me how Isabelle always managed to sound as if she were the one calling the shots even while begging.

"Just give it up, Iz," Jace told her. "If we had taken a taxi, we could be home by now. Besides, the bloodsucker's car is too small for all of us." He had a point there. Including Simon, there would be five of us, and Simon's two-door jeep only seated four. Simon was proud to actually have a car, but in cities like New York or even Brooklyn, they were rarely needed. Traffic could be horrible and mass transit was easier.

"Don't call him that!" Isabelle ordered her adopted brother. Jace and Simon had a long history of hating each other; they constantly hurled insults back and forth. Isabelle went back to the phone. Less than a second passed before she smiled and said, "Yes! Thanks Simon. See you soon."

"I take it he agreed," Jace commented.

"Well, duh," I told him. We shared a look, and Jace slipped his hand into mine. He was limping slightly. He still hadn't completely recovered from battling the demon despite the iratze marks Alec had put on him a few minutes ago. Poor Jace.

"Don't look at me like that."

"Like what?" I asked, kinda confused.

"Like you feel sorry for me. Like you want to make me feel better," Jace didn't sound upset and I couldn't exactly figure out why I was being berated for caring.

"But I do want to make you feel better."

"Yeah, but I don't need sympathy, Clary. I just need you." I guess that was an improvement.

I understood now. Jace wanted to play the tough guy part and pretend he was all right. He didn't want people to notice his weakness. My boyfriend was weird like that. He put up a front; a sarcastic, witty front to make others believe he didn't feel pain. Too bad for him, I was going to see it. And I was going to make him feel better whether he like it or not.

Simon happened to drive up before I could begin to do this. We all piled into his car. Alec, Jace, and I were relegated to the back seat. Izzy, of course, called shotgun. I was squished between Jace and Alec. So finally, I shifted until I was sitting in Jace's lap.

"Seriously, Clary? Does Alec smell that bad?" Jace joked. In reply, I flipped my hair over my shoulder to where he got a mouthful of it. He spluttered, but didn't come up with one of his sarcastic comebacks.

Oops, I had forgotten about that making him feel better thing. Jace just had that effect on people. "I happen to be hurt at the moment," Jace whined.

"Faker," I whispered in his ear before saying, "Do you want me to kiss it and make it better?" I couldn't see his face, but I could feel him nod into my shoulder. "Poor Jace, where does it hurt?"

"It hurts here," he shifted me on his lap so I could see where he was pointing. Jace was pointing at his nose. I rolled my eyes at him. His nose couldn't possibly hurt. I kissed it nevertheless. "And here." He pointed to his cheek and I gave it a peck. "And here," his finger was now pointed at his mouth.

"Why is it that I don't believe you?" But I kissed it anyway. This kiss was more than a peck. Jace pulled me closer to deepen the kiss.

"Gross," Alec grimaced. "You two need to get a room."

We broke apart. "I wouldn't mind that," Jace whispered in my ear. He was joking, but I knew he was telling the truth. I wasn't ready for that stage yet, despite the fact that we had been together for two years.

"Too bad," I whispered back.

"Poor Jace," came Simon's sarcastic voice from the front seat. Until then, he and Isabelle had been in their own discussion. "He got beat up and rejected all in the same night."

"Kiss my-" Jace began.

"Shut up, you guys." Isabelle interrupted. "Don't start this tonight."

"Doesn't matter," Simon said. "We're at the Institute anway."

I knew eventually, I was going to have to leave to go home. For right now, I was content to stay where I was. At the moment, that was sitting on a couch watching Jace play the piano. He was amazing at it, almost as good a pianist as he was a fighter. But not quite. It was in his nature to be a fighter. He loved to fight with words, often managing to get the best of others in verbal battles, but for Jace nothing beat physical fighting.

So, I wasn't surprised at what he asked when he stopped playing. "You wanna have that practice round in the training room now? I'll go easy on you."

"Since when has that ever happened?" I asked. "Not right now, Jace. Let's wait until the morning when you feel better."

"Are you afraid you'll hurt me, Clary?" he raised an eyebrow and gave me that cocky grin. "I've practiced when I was worse off than this before."

I could believe that, but I wasn't really in the mood for a fight now. "You sure you want to fight, Jace? I could have you begging for mercy in mere seconds."

"Ah, but that would be cheating." He gave me a fake reproving look.

"And you being so much better than me doesn't?" I demanded.

He pretended to think about it. "You have a point. How about this; regular rules for the fight, but if you feel that I am using my advantage, you can use yours." The confident grin he gave me told me that he fully expected me to have to use my advantage. My advantage being the fact that both of us seemed to forget our surroundings when we kissed.

"Fine. One round, then I'm showering and going home."

"Deal." Jace held out his hand and we shook on it.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Parents can be frustrating. Especially when they tell you to go to sleep right before you finish typing your story. I had this done last night, but my dad made me go to sleep before I could post it. Anyway…**_

_**Voila, new chapter. This chapter was originally going to be another fic, but since I changed the POV, it totally fits here. I tried to make this one longer at the request of MyLifeSucks12, and this 420 words longer. Slight improvement. Thanks again to all who reviewed and stuff. It's nice to know that people are actually reading my stories!! **_

_**Disclaimer: Unless my fantasies come true anytime soon, I'm never going to own this series.**_

Jace and I had both changed into more comfortable clothes for fighting. Like all shadowhunting clothes, they were black. Jace looked amazing in his dark outfit, the color contrasting with his hair. It probably clashed with mine, but I decided not to think about clothes. I was going to need all of my concentration to last in a fight with Jace. Practice or real.

Luckily, this was practice, and he had promised to go easy on me. As we faced off, he asked, "You ready?"

I stood in front of him in my fighting stance. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Good," he smirked. He lunged forward before I could go for him, catching me off guard. He succeeded in knocking me backward, but I caught myself before I fell. I stumbled backwards, almost tripping over the mat. When I got my balance back, Jace was already preparing his next attack. Wow, a few seconds in and already I had almost tripped.

"You can do better than that, Clary." I glared at him. His goal was to goad me into hitting him, but I knew him too well for that to work.

I backed away from him warily, waiting for his next blow. He advanced towards me with a confidence only a shadowhunter, only he, could manage. He seemed at ease, as if he was walking normally. Looking at his stance, I could tell that he was about to pounce. I backed up again, and I felt my back come into contact with the solid wall.

A slow grin spread across his face. "There's nowhere to run, Clary." Jace said in that silky voice of his. "There's nowhere to go."

As much as I tried to focus on the fight, my attention was drawn back to Jace's face. His beautiful, angular face surrounded by a head of blonde curls. I knew him well, I reminded myself. That meant I knew both his strengths and his weaknesses. It meant that I knew when he was most vulnerable and how to distract him.

My green eyes met his golden ones for a split second, but that was all the time I needed. I jumped at him, managing to catch him off guard. Sweeping my leg under his, I tried to trip him. Jace, being one of the best shadowhunters our age, caught himself and darted away before I could do any actual damage. He sent one cocky grin my way before darting back to me. Then he executed a perfect sweeping kick designed to hit directly on the side of the thigh. Of course, the kick was accurate. The muscle in my leg smarted, and before I could so much as move, he had me on the ground.

Jace had managed to knock me to the ground gently enough that the blow hurt only a little. Looking into his eyes, I could tell that he hoped I didn't realize that he was holding back. Jace clearly liked to fight me, but he also had to hold back when he did, making the fight more challenging for him. When he knocked me to the ground, he pinned me under his body. Jace straddled my waist, holding down my wrists with his hands and my legs with his own.

He watched me struggle underneath him, openly enjoying every moment of it. I remembered once when I was mad he had compared me to a wildcat. Sometimes he called me his wildcat, and as I tried to claw my way out from under him, I felt like one. I was finally making progress when I felt it. I froze. I didn't say anything or move an inch. I could tell that Jace either hadn't noticed it yet or didn't care.

"What is it?" asked Jace. I still didn't say anything, but when his expression changed, I knew he had figured out exactly what the problem was. He had been so focused on me that he hadn't even noticed his hard-on.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, managing to sound as if he didn't mean it. He didn't get up though. Instead, he lowered his face to mine and put his lips to my ear. "You're beautiful, Clary, and I'm not going to deny that I want you." I shivered as his mouth brushed my ear. "I may be amazing," he added with his usual cockiness, "but Clary, so are you."

The pressure of his body on mine and the feel of his lips against my ear were driving me crazy. He kissed my ear softly and began to work his way down my throat. I wondered if this felt as good to him as it did to me.

At the pressure of his lips on my neck, I couldn't help but sigh. As he kissed a particularly sensitive spot, my hips lifted against his. I heard him let out a moan. I chuckled softly. To think that I could affect Jace this way used to be unbelievable. Now, however, the feeling was getting more and more familiar.

"You're cheating," Jace's voice came out gruff.

"You're the one sitting on top of me," I retorted. My voice sounded breathless. "If you get off of me, I'll stop. I don't know why I'm the one that has to stop. You were the one doing the kissing."

"And now you're driveling," Jace observed. He tried to sound condescending, but it was ruined by the slightly low, husky tone of his voice.

"I am not." I protested. "Okay… maybe just a little." He smirked. "But in my defense, you're still sitting on me."

Jace didn't reply. Instead, he let out a laugh. "What?" I demanded.

"I'm sure if I checked your sketch pad tonight, I'd find a few of those torrid fantasies and romance novel covers."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I sounded a little too defensive, even to myself.

"You know what it's supposed to mean, Clary." As if to demonstrate, he lowered his mouth to mine and kissed me again.

Without warning, Jace pulled back. "See what I mean?"

"We really need to be getting up, Jace."

He looked as if he had no desire to get up. In fact, certain parts of him were telling me they'd like to stay right where they were. Reluctantly, he complied. Jace got to his feet and reached out a hand to pull me up.

"Does that mean it's a draw?" I asked, letting go of his hand.

Jace looked offended. "Of course it's not a draw. I win. I always win."

Conceited much? "That's not what you were saying a few minutes ago," I taunted. Control freak that my hot shadowhunter boyfriend is, I knew he wasn't going to let me get away with it. He had to win, or so he thought.

"I can't recall saying anything of the sort."

"I bet I could make you remember," I smiled at him and Jace pretended to frown. I took a step forward.

He backed up. "No thanks, I'll take my chances over here."

"Its okay, Jace," I said. "You don't have to run, I won't hurt you."

He put on a supercilious look. "_You _hurt _me_?" I swatted him on the arm. "Ow! What was that for?"

"That's for calling me weak." Judging from the expression on his face, I was the only one who got the irony of him saying "Ow" when I hit him after he just called me weak.

Then, he grinned crookedly and all was forgiven. "You're not weak, Clary. Never weak. You're strong and beautiful and brave."

"And you just want me to kiss you again."

"I'm serious, Clary." As I looked into his golden, syrup colored eyes, I could tell that he genuinely thought of me that way.

"Aw, that's sweet. I forgive you."

"Forgive me? For what?"

"For sitting on me," I tried to say it deadpan, but I cracked up. After shaking his head exasperatedly, Jace did too. He pulled me close to him.

"You _are _beautiful, Clary," he told me solemnly after our laughter had died away. "Even if you don't believe it." I sighed happily. He was so sweet sometimes; that deserved a kiss.

I stood on tiptoe to reach his mouth and gave him a kiss. Or started to. That was as far as I got before we were interrupted by the sound of the opening door. Stopping mid-kiss, we turned to find Isabelle standing in the doorway. The alarmed expression on her face caused Jace to ask, "What is it?"

"Sorry to interrupt," She said. "But we've got major trouble on the demon front." She surveyed us dispassionately. "It's a good thing you two are already dressed. All we have to do is get the weapons." She turned on her heel and walked away.

Jace and I let go of each other and hurried to the door. "What's the trouble?" I asked when we caught up to her. Jace, already moving back to fight mode, was prepared for anything. I, on the other hand, liked to know what I was dealing with beforehand.

"Some demons were harassing one of Luke's wolves. The poor kid didn't make it, and now the demons are on the loose."

Jace whispered a curse word under his breath as the three of us made our way to the library where the others were waiting. It seemed like a long trip, and Izzy and Jace were quiet, both going into battle mode.

"Bad news," were the words we were greeted with when we got there. Alec, the bearer of this bad news, looked as serious and deadly as his sister and his adopted brother.

"Haven't we already gotten bad news," came Simon's voice from the doorway. I had thought he left earlier, but he must have stayed with Isabelle. If they argued, that might be why Isabelle was being abrupt. Lucky us. Simon staying was good because it gave us a ride to wherever we were going.

"Well, worse news. We have reason to believe that at least one of these demons is a Greater Demon."

_**Is there too much fluff? Too much bickering? Is Jace too cocky? Not cocky enough? These are the questions that haunt me (jk) and i would love it if you could answer them. **_


	4. Chapter 4

_**I am officially obsessed with the TV show Supernatural. Two of my friends and I had a Supernatural movie marathon. Almost 20 hours of Sam and Dean, the two gorgeous main characters. *Happy sigh* We watched almost the whole second season and stuffed our faces with popcorn and chips. As a result, I am in a very good mood. **_

_**Disclaimer: Still don't own Mortal Instruments.**_

"What did you say?" Isabelle spoke what we were all thinking. Greater Demons were definitely worse news. "I must have heard you wrong."

"You heard me right," Alec replied. "There's a Greater Demon in Manhattan."

I heard Jace mutter a few more expletives under his breath. This time, Isabelle joined him. "Just what we needed," Jace said out loud. "How do you know it's a Greater Demon? Do you know which Greater Demon it is? What-"

That was as far as he got before Alec interrupted. "One question at a time, Jace," he told the younger boy. "I just got off the phone with Magnus," he informed the group. "That's how we found out about the demons in the first place. He went to check out the scene of the crime. He said that the stench that Greater Demons give off was all over the place."

"Is that all? Does he have any proof?" Jace decided to be difficult.

"What other proof do we need?" asked Alec. "If it smells like a Greater Demon, there's not much else it could be."

"Good point," Jace conceded. "But that still doesn't mean-"

He was interrupted again, this time by Isabelle. "Guys stop arguing! You're wasting valuable time. While you're arguing, those demons could be out there murdering people!"

Her objection brought us all back to reality. Jace and Alec returned to preparing for battle. Isabelle already had her weapon of choice, the whip, curled tightly in her hand. Alec had provided Simon with a bow as he was useless with any sort of knife even with vampire powers. Jace placed at least four knives on his person before giving me two to use. After choosing weapons, Alec used his stele to apply Marks to everyone except Simon's skin.

Finally, we were all geared up and ready to kick some demon butt. The five of us piled back into Simon's car, and set off for the area near Freaky Pete's bar where the werewolf had been killed. When we drove up, the street was mostly deserted. Downworlders hear of demons nearby, and they generally scatter. We found only Luke, Magnus, the bar tender, and three other wolves at the bar.

I saw Isabelle tense up when we got out of the jeep. Then I saw Maia. Uh-oh. This could potentially be a very dangerous situation, even without the demons. Simon, on the other hand, smiled at the girl.

"So which way did the demons go?" Alec asked Magnus before the rest of us could say anything. He had seen his sister tense up too and was quick to divert her attention.

"No idea," Alec's boyfriend replied. "Maia was the one to find him."

We all turned to look at the brown-haired werewolf. She was only seventeen, but she had to deal with as much crap as the rest of us. She shook her head. "I was coming out of the bar when I saw him face down on the street. There was no one around except the demons. When I came out, they scattered."

We all looked down at the body of the dead werewolf. He was young. He looked no more than fifteen or sixteen; the poor boy was younger than me. "There's one thing I don't get," Simon spoke up. "What would a Greater Demon want with a sixteen-year-old werewolf?"

"That," put in Magnus. "Is a very good question."

No one said anything for a few moments. What would a Greater Demon want with a kid? "We need get going if we're going to catch these demons," Isabelle said, bringing us all back to reality. She cracked her whip one time before coiling it back up. "And we _will_ catch them."

"Bye," Alec hugged Magnus. The rest of us turned to go without a word. On a normal day, we would have said our good byes and see-you-laters, but tonight pleasantries were disregarded because were all gearing up for the fight.

Leaving Simon's car at the bar, we walked through the streets of New York searching for demons. The only noise was that of our Isabelle's boots as she walked down the sidewalk. In New York, it was never completely dark because of the lights of the town, but the area we were in was darker than most by far. Our only light was the nearest streetlight. The dark made me feel a little paranoid.

As if he could sense this, Jace stuck close to me. "How are you holding up?" he asked.

"We're walking down a dark road searching for a Greater Demon and his followers," I replied. "So I'm as good as can be expected."

"You won't swoon and expect me to come sweeping in and save you?"

"Have you ever known me to swoon?" Jace might sometimes be sweet, but often he had a habit of making things worse.

"There's a first time for everything," was his encouraging reply. I didn't deign to comment on that. We walked in silence for a few more moments before Jace randomly blurted, "I still think we need code names." He suggested this idea every few months and was always shot down. "I want to be Baron Hotschaft Von Hugenstein."

"You _always _want to be Baron Hotschaft Von Hugenstein," Simon said irritably. "Give it a rest, will you?" Jace made a face at Simon's back, but didn't say anything.

At first, we had no idea of knowing whether or not we were going in the right direction. All the streets looked the same; deserted and desolate. As we got closer, however, we knew that we were going in the right direction by the smell. The smell of spoiled eggs, old meat, and rotten seaweed all jumbled together. It was the smell that pervaded the air around all Greater Demons.

I had only ever faced one Greater Demon before, with the very same people. Simon had killed it by opening a skylight with an arrow. Sunlight was poisonous to these demons. The sun was not here to help us now. Pulling my cell from my pocket to check the time, I realized that dawn was only two hours away. I doubted the fight would last long enough for the sun to come into play. The smell grew stronger as we got closer to wherever the demon was. The longer we walked, the more I began to think that maybe the sun would come up in time to help use defeat the demons.

Finally, we turned down a seemingly deserted road to find a group of six boys shouting. They were gathered in a circle, and it was only as we got closer that we could see they were surrounding a smaller boy. They were pushing at him, but they turned at the sound of our arrival. The Sensor in Alec's hand went off like crazy. We had finally found the demons were searching for.

Leaving the small boy behind them, the demons made a semicircle, blocking our way. "We were waiting for you, Shadowhunters, Vampire," the one who seemed to be the leader of the group said. He was slightly taller than the rest, and they were all taller than any normal human should be. "Now the fight may begin."

So saying, he lunged forward towards Isabelle. She cracked her whip, causing it to dodge quickly. Almost as one, the other five demons moved forward to face various members of our group. I drew one of my seraph blades and whispered its name. Glancing over at Jace, I saw that he had drawn two of his blades. Tonight was all about fighting. First Jace and I fought the demon at pandemonium, then I fought Jace, and now these new demons.

Everything was all a blur as the demons rushed forward. One came at me with a large knife. It thrust the blade at me jerkily with none of the grace of a shadowhunter. I parried with my own blade. It drew back the knife and brought it around with a sweeping motion, I quickly ducked down. The thing wasn't fooling me that easily.

"Clary, look out!" Simon's voice came from behind me. I turned to see another demon with another huge knife facing me. Great, just great. Now I was facing two evil beings with killer knives in their hands.

The first on advanced forward as I backed away. The other struck out at me, just barely missing my ribs. No longer thinking clearly, I stabbed blindly with my knife. I heard it connect with something, but neither of the demons backed away. The both kept advancing, putting me on the defensive. I went to draw my seraph blade back to strike, but before I could, one of the demon's blades caught my arm. It was nothing more than a nick, but it was enough for me to drop my guard. It struck again, but before it could connect, I saw the demon drop like a bag of bricks before disentigrating.

I turned to see Jace standing above the demon. The death of the demon distracted the other. I took advantage of this distraction by quickly driving my knife into the remaining demon's ribs. It also dropped.

"Jace, you saved me." As usual, without Jace around to save me, I'd be dead.

"I couldn't let you get hurt," he said it matter-of-factly, but his face looked serious and tender. He wrapped me in a quick hug before we had to turn back to the fight.

Jace's first demon was dead, along with the two we had slain. Isabelle's demon was also dead, and she was helping her brother fend off another one. Jace rushed to help Simon with the last one. The boy the demons had been surrounding was standing against a building, watching with wide, terrified eyes.

With nothing else to do, I went to talk to him. "Are you okay?" I asked.

"Who are you people?" his wide eyes looked scared, and I couldn't blame him. Fighting demons still scared me sometimes, and I'd been doing it for years.

"It's a long story," I didn't have time to tell him the truth. "But we're the good guys. Were those guys harassing you?"

"They were just fooling around," the little boys said.

"Hey, Clary!" A voice called. I turned to see that the rest of our crew had finished their fights and were warily eyeing the boy and me. They made their way over to us. "What's this?" Simon asked.

I looked at the others. Isabelle and Alec were looking at the boy as if wondering what he was doing here, as was Simon. Jace had on an entirely different expression. He looked downright hostile to the little kid. "Don't talk to it," he hissed.

We all ignored him. "What's your name?" I asked.

"Bobby," was the boy's reply.

"I don't get it," Isabelle said as if the boy couldn't hear. "We smelled a Greater Demon. None of those were Greater Demons, where is it?"

"By the Angel, it's right there!" Jace told us. He pointed at the boy. We all looked at him like he was crazy. There was no way a demon could be that nice-looking.

The little boy only laughed at the accusation, instantly gaining our attention. "This is quite sad, really," he said, his voice no longer that of a little boy. "What shadowhunters are coming to, these days. But it's all the better for my kind."

"What?" He couldn't be the demon. It had been a trick. We all began to back away from him.

"The werewolves have something I want, Shadowhunters, and I would appreciate it if you would convince them to give it back." Unlike the lesser demons, this one did not strike directly after its words; instead, it waited for a reply.

"And why would we do that?" Jace demanded.

The Greater Demon began to change shape, shifting from the small human boy. Its face elongated, and its limbs shrunk until its body somewhat resembled a giant serpent. The markings made it look like a viper, but it still had a humanoid face with jagged glass-sharp fangs. Long horns began to grow from its head, and scales covered its body.

The first Greater Demon we had met was hideous; it was all rotten with age-old bones protruding from the skin. This one was equally terrifying, but it had a sort of demented beauty about it. The serpentine face didn't go with the horns or human-like features, but it looked sleek and intimidating. Overall, the thing scared me stiff.

"Because I can make your life a living nightmare if you don't."

"Really?" Jace asked. He would be the one to banter with an evil spirit. "And how will you be able to that if we kill you?"

"You're naïve enough to believe you can kill me, boy? I am Botis, commander of sixty legions of demons. You can't defeat me, _child_." He said the last word scornfully, as if he believed being a child was akin to being dead or something. "I could defeat you with one wave of my hand, but I won't. And in return, you will convince the werewolves to return my possession."

"If you're so high and mighty, why can't you do it yourself?" Jace demanded. I hissed at him to shut up before his idiocy got the rest of us into even more trouble. Goading a demon was never smart.

"I grow tired of your insolence, mortal," so saying, the demon waved his hand indifferently. Jace crumpled to the ground and lay there, unmoving. "Now," Botis continued. "Where were we?"

I rushed to Jace's side, dropping down to check on him. The others remained still, as if frozen by the demon. Luckily, Jace was still breathing, but he was definitely out cold. "What did you do to him?"

The demon eyed me coldly. "The same thing I will do to you, if you do not follow my orders."

_**Yay! It's way longer. I kind of got carried away, but i enjoyed writing it. My hands are sore from typing. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading it!**_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Just so you know, I still have no idea where the story is going; I write whatever comes to mind. I have some idea of what the demon's going to want, though. Generally, writing like that gives the story little plot, but it seems to be working with this one. So, in the last chapter, Jace's insolence finally caught up to him and the demon knocked him out. Now, we're picking up with the demon demanding the shadowhunters and Simon to get back something the werewolves have the demon claims is his…its… whatever.**_

_**Disclaimer: Do I really even need to write this anymore? As usual, I do not own this series.**_

The snake-like Greater Demon was intimidating, but as he had just knocked my boyfriend out cold, I wasn't exactly thinking straight when I said what I did next. "Bring him back," I ordered. The demon's cruel expression did not change as he laughed.

"If you do as I ask, I will consider it," the demon told me. He wasn't asking anything; he was telling. His tone said that he might consider bringing Jace back, but it probably wouldn't happen.

"What _is _this object of great power?" Isabelle finally spoke up.

"You have no need of that knowledge, mortal." Botis informed her. How would we find it if we didn't know what it was? The Greater Demon's body slithered forward. The scales on its body glowed a sickly yellow-green color, almost iridescent in the lamplight. Its body was as thick and as long as a human's.

"And _why _would we get it for you?" I couldn't help but ask. I seemed to all of the sudden have the Jace disease with my sarcastic mouth.

"Because if you don't, your unconscious friend will never see the light of day again." I couldn't believe we- I- were arguing with a Greater Demon. All the thing had to do was wave its hand again, and another one of us would become unconscious. But it needed us, and we could use that to our advantage.

"Okay," I said. Botis sneered evilly.

"What? Clary, no!" Isabelle, Simon, and Alec all spoke at once. We obviously weren't giving the demon what it wanted, even if we didn't know what that was. Our only advantage was to let it think that we were. I glared at the three of them, but they didn't shut up.

"You would do well to learn from this one," Botis told the others, apparently forgetting that a minute ago, I was back-talking it. "I expect to have the item in my possession within the week," it added and with that parting remark, the snake-like demon disappeared.

It seemed to have an innate ability to sense the imminent sunrise because not seconds after it disappeared, the sky began to get lighter. When it was gone, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon immediately surged toward me. Now that the demon was no longer holding them it seemed that they could move.

"Clary! Why did you tell that _thing _we would do what it wanted?" Alec demanded, making his way to where I was still crouched beside Jace with my knife in hand. Isabelle and Simon had similar complaints.

"To make it leave!"

"Well, we're obviously not giving it what it wants… whatever that is," Isabelle's tone dared me to contradict her.

"_I_ know that, and _you_ know that. But the Greater Demon doesn't." I told her.

"Oh," they all seemed to understand now. "You're buying time." I resisted the childish urge to say, "Duh!"

They stood there silently for a moment, and I turned my attention back to my unconscious boyfriend. His breathing was fairly normal and as I listened for his heart beat, that also seemed fine. If I didn't know better, I'd say that he was sleeping. "What are we going to do about Jace?" I couldn't hide the tremor in my voice. What if we couldn't wake him up?

"We'll think of something, Clary." Simon said reassuringly. He helped me to my feet and gave me a comforting hug. He had been my best friend since we were little, and I could always count on him for comfort.

"So, what now?" Isabelle asked.

Getting Jace back to the institute wasn't an easy job, but we managed. Luckily, Maryse and Robert, the Lightwoods, weren't home to see their adopted son in such a shape. They were still grieving for Max; adding Jace to that would just make it worse. Simon retrieved his car, and we loaded Jace into it. Once we made it to the institute, we called Magnus, hoping his warlock abilities could help us figure out what was wrong with Jace.

Simon, Isabelle, and I left Alec and Magnus at the institute to take care of Jace. We were doing reconnaissance. We went back to the bar where this had all begun to get a better idea of what we were dealing with.

"Sorry, but I've got to get home before my mom realizes I'm not there," Simon said as he dropped us off.

Leaving Isabelle and I to enter the deserted bar alone. When we walked inside, however, we realized that the bar was not so deserted. In fact, it was quite crowded. Luke must have called a lycanthrope meeting because the place was crowded with people. We saw Maia among them.

With Simon not around, Isabelle had no problem with the brown-haired girl. "Hey, Maia," I greeted her warmly. Isabelle smiled too. I liked the girl a lot, but I was rooting for Simon to pick Izzy.

"Hey, Clary and Izzy." She smiled back but it was a weak, tired smile. "Did you get those demons?" She must have seen something in my face because she asked, "That bad, huh?"

I shrugged. Isabelle answered her. "One of them was a Greater Demon. It knocked Jace unconscious." She didn't mention it wanting some object of power from the werewolves, but I hadn't expected her to. That was strictly Nephilim business. The only lycanthrope getting that information was Luke. Luke got the information for two main reasons, these being that he was the leader of the werewolves and that he was like a dad to me. He was a much better dad than my real one had ever been.

Maia shot me a sympathetic look. "Did you find out why it attacked Nick?"

Isabelle shook her head. "Can you tell us where to find Luke?"

"Sure," Maia wanted this taken care of just as much as we did. "He's in the back. I'll take you to him." The crowd made way for us as we followed her. She led us to Luke, and as promised, he was in a back room behind the bar. We found him heatedly discussing something with his second-in-command. They broke off their argument when they saw us.

"Did you find anything?" Luke and the other werewolf were still standing in the room. I sent Luke a look. He knew any information we had was for his ears alone.

"Oh!" he said, understanding almost immediately. "Carter, Maia, can you two excuse us for a moment?"

"But Luke…" the man named Carter interrupted. One look from Luke had him backing down. "All right." He and Maia made their way outside.

"So I take it you found something?" Luke asked as soon as they were gone.

Isabelle wasn't one to beat around the bush. She launched straight into her explanation. "Yes. The werewolves have something that the Greater Demon, Botis, wants. And the demon will do pretty much anything to get it, so it must be powerful. Find anything fitting that description lately?"

Luke's brows knit thoughtfully. "Not that I know of. And surely I would know if a pack member found something powerful enough that a Greater Demon took an interest in it."

"Did you find anything on the body?" Isabelle questioned.

"There was nothing unusual, nothing that would cause a demon to be after the kid. Nick, the wolf who got killed, was going home when it happened. All we found on the body was his wallet, his phone. Things like that. Oh, we also found a ring with pictures of Disney characters, but that's not really something a demon would be after."

"A Disney ring? What was a teenage boy doing with a Disney ring in his pocket?" Isabelle wanted to know. I did too, actually.

Luke looked as if he wanted to laugh at our reactions, but then his expression sobered up. "He had a little sister," Luke continued seriously. "He was always looking for things like that to bring home to her."

"Aww, that's so sweet," I said. Isabelle looked as if she agreed. Most boys I knew, coughJaceSimoncough, wouldn't ever think of doing that. Well, if either of them had little sisters.

Luke nodded gravely. "It was." He pulled something out of his pocket, and I saw it was the ring he was speaking of. "You can take it as evidence if you want. Nick has no need of it anymore." He held out to me, and after hesitating, I reached forward to take it.

"We need to find out what the demon wants soon," I said. "Before…" I was going to say before something worse happened to Jace, but the words stuck in my throat.

Meeting my eyes with her darker ones, Isabelle seemed to understand what I was about to say. "It's okay, Clary. We'll fix him." Luke shot us a confused look, and she explained. "The demon put Jace into a coma. It said that unless we get it what it wants, he won't wake up."

"Everything will be okay, Clary," Luke said. He would make a good dad one day, when he and my mom were married if they decided to have children. His words reassured me more than Isabelle's or Simon's had. "That's enough for one night," he said firmly. "Isabelle, I'll take you back to the institute, but then I'm taking Clary home." His tone brooked no arguments. We weren't going to argue anyway.

It had been a long night, and I wanted nothing more than to go home and crash. But it was no longer technically night. The sun was up, and I had one more thing I needed to do. "Can you take me back to the institute, too?" I asked Luke as we left the bar and got into his car.

He frowned disapprovingly but acquiesced. "Make sure you call your mom to check in soon," he told me after dropping Isabelle and me off. "I don't want your mother to get too worried."

"Sure, sure," I assured him I would, no longer paying attention. I was itching to get to the infirmary to see Jace, but when I got there, I changed my mind.

Magnus hadn't been able to do anything. Jace was just lying there so quietly; he still looked as if he were sleeping. He looked so sweet like that, resembling the angels whose blood ran through his veins. I sat down in a chair beside his bed. His blonde curls were slightly damp as I brushed them back from his forehead. I was missing him already, and he was right here. I stroked his smooth cheek as these thoughts and others ran through my head.

"He looks so peaceful," the voice behind me made me jump.

I turned to see Izzy standing in the doorway. "He does, doesn't he? Kind of like an angel." I half expected to hear a well-merited mark about how Jace could never be an angel, but Isabelle was silent. She twirled a piece of her dark hair between her fingers as she stared at her adopted brother lying comatose on the bed.

"You know, they say when people are in comas, they can hear what's going on around them." Her seemingly random remark made me wonder. What if he could hear us now? Jace would love knowing he was the center of attention; he would never let us forget it.

"We need to focus on getting him better and finding out what the demon wants," I told her, as if she didn't already know. She nodded absently, still playing with her hair.

"Just remember, Clary," She said sincerely, meeting my eyes. "We _are _going to find a way to heal him." With that remark, she was gone.

I sat in the almost empty room for a little while longer, staring at Jace as if his face held the answers to all of my questions. I was getting sleepy again, and I still needed to call my mom. But some of Jace's peacefulness seemed to have worn off on me. "The angel guard you," was the last thing I told him before drifting off to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6

_**You would think that at the end of the year, teachers would assign less projects, but instead, mine seem to be assigning more. Geometry, Biology, seriously people I want to get **_**some **_**sleep this week. Ninth grade shouldn't involve so little sleep. Sorry, didn't mean to go off on a tangent. **_

_**The story is not quite fluff anymore, but if you stay tuned, fluff is sure to make its comeback.**_

_**Disclaimer: If I owned MI, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. **_

Clary was alone on a deserted street. That was how the dream always started, but she could never remember it when she woke up. The sun was shining brightly, and out of nowhere, Jace appeared. Wasn't he supposed to be unconscious? She asked herself. Who cares, she decided. It was her dream; she could have it however she wanted. And she wanted Jace awake.

He wrapped her snugly in his arms. "I missed you so much!" she told him.

"I didn't go anywhere," he told her. "I would never leave you. I love you." She smiled. It was so nice to hear him say that again. It seemed like much more than a few hours that he had been gone.

She closed her eyes and leaned into him. And stumbled forward. Where Jace had been seconds ago, now there was only air. Clary searched for him frantically, but she didn't see him anywhere. There was only the empty street with deserted stores.

"Clary!" He called and she realized that he was still here. Only now, he was standing on the opposite side of the street in the shadows. He started to make his way back to her but as he got closer; she saw that he was bound to something behind him. Jace stepped forward as far as he could, but the chains that held him would let him go no further.

Clary ran to him. She made it as far as the middle of the road before she saw what he was bound to and stopped in her tracks. It was Botis, the demon. The evil snake-like thing was even in her dreams. Jace turned to see what had scared her so badly, and when he saw the demon, he began to try to pull away. But the demon stopped him easily. "Freeze," it said. And Jace froze in his tracks. He was under complete control of the demon who now laughed at the pained look on Clary's face.

This frustrated her, and it gave her the strength to move forward. But before she could, a car came out of nowhere and hit her. That was the last thing she remembered.

"Clary! Clary!" Someone was shouting my name anxiously. I began to stir. I was somewhere in between sleep and waking. Thinking it was the demon from my dream, I struck out wildly. My fist made contact with something. "Ow! Clary, what was that for?"

Wait a second, I knew that voice. It was so familiar, but I couldn't place it. "Clary, sweetheart, it was just a bad dream." Oh! I recognized the voice now, and wondered how I hadn't sooner. But it couldn't be. He was unconscious.

My eyes flicked open and proved what my ears had already shown me. Jace Lightwood was leaning over me, looking worriedly into my eyes. "Jace!" I exclaimed. "You're awake!" I sat up quickly, realizing that I had fallen asleep in the chair beside his bed.

"Awake?" he asked. "What happened? Where did the demon go and what the heck am I doing in the infirmary?"

I didn't answer immediately. Instead, I ran my gaze over his body. Far from being bruised from the many fights we'd been in yesterday, Jace was looking fine. In fact, he looked as if he'd gotten a good night's sleep and a mark stronger than an iratze to heal him. Which was totally unfair, seeing as I probably looked like crap.

But I was used to Jace's amazing ability to bounce back. It must have been something he got from his angel blood, like his talent for jumping or mine with creating new runes. He was still looking worried as he crouched in front of the chair I had fallen asleep in.

"Lay back down on the bed, Jace." I couldn't have him getting hurt again after his miraculous recovery.

"Isn't it a little early in the day to be trying to get me into bed?" he asked teasingly. That was the one thing I could always count on; Jace always had a comeback.

"Ha ha, you're hilarious," I said sarcastically. "Now, lay down."

"Not at all suspicious, but I think I'll do it just to see what you've got in mind." He smirked, knowing that I got the innuendo in his words. He lay down and made a show of waiting for me to do something.

"Seriously, Jace." My tone was a warning. As if he understood that I was worried about him, he didn't make another joke about me wanting him. As much as I tried to hide it, I definitely wanted to take him up on his offer. For now, however, we had to clear a few things up. "You don't remember anything?"

"After that snake thing told me to shut up, no."

"Well," I took a deep breath to prepare myself for the story. "The demon knocked you out."

"Wouldn't I have remembered that?"

"He didn't literally brain you over the head or anything. He… it just waved its hand and you were unconscious. You fell over and hit the pavement."

"Seriously?" he asked with disbelief. "I fainted?"

I laughed. He was staring at me incredulously. "Well, it _was _a Greater Demon." He turned up his nose in an expression of disgust. Apparently, Greater Demons were supposed to be no match for Jace Wayland. No, not Wayland. I had to remind myself. When I first met Jace, that was the name he went by. Since then, figuring out his parentage had been quite a task. For a while, we even believed that we were brother and sister. Now, he went by Lightwood because the Lightwoods had taken care of him for most of his life.

"I don't believe it," he stated arrogantly.

"You better believe it, mister," I told him. "You were out cold. And can you shut up, or do you not want to hear the rest of the story?"

"Proceed."

"So the demon decided-" I was interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

"Hey Isabelle, I think she's in here." Alec called. When he finally looked into the room, his mouth dropped open. He stood frozen, staring at his brother.

Isabelle and Simon came up behind him. Upon seeing Jace, Isabelle screeched, "JACE!" She ran to hug her brother.

"Nice to see you too, Izzy," Jace looked at her warily. I laughed again. He looked as if any moment, he was expecting her to have a mental breakdown.

"What did you do?" she turned to me, letting go of Jace. "Did you make a new rune to wake him up?"

"Um, no." I wasn't quite sure what to say. I didn't know how he had woken up either. Simon and Alec had both come into the room now.

"Actually," Jace began. "I woke myself up." Alec snorted.

"What?" Jace demanded.

"You woke yourself up? Jace, you were in a _coma. _You can't just wake yourself up from that." He had a point. Recently, I had come to like Alec. He was the voice of reason in an otherwise crazy shadowhunter family.

"_I_ can do it," Jace said haughtily. "And I don't get why I have to stay in the infirmary. I'm totally fine."

"Don't make me say it again," Alec told him. "You were in a _coma_."

"But I'm fine now," Jace protested.

"You know, Jace, you're acting kind of butch." Simon said. Leave it to Simon. The first thing out of his mouth to Jace would be an insult. "They say guys who act like that are just trying to-"

"Cover up the fact that they're gay?" Jace interrupted.

Simon sent an apologetic look to Alec who had tried for years to cover up the fact that he was gay. He had finally given up and come out, and now he was dating Magnus. "No, I was going to say that it means you're trying to make up for your lack of… you know, _size._"

Jace snorted a laugh. "I don't think so, idiot bloodsucker. I chose the nickname Baron Hotschaft Von _Huge_nstein for a reason."

"Okay, totally bad mental picture Jace," Isabelle grimaced. "I think I'm scarred for life."

"Not my fault," Jace held up his hands in mock innocence. "Your boyfriend brought it up. And what's he doing here, anyway?"

"_I _was doing something beneficial, unlike some pompous…"

"_Simon_," I warned. Now was not the time to get into this. We had to fill Jace in and find out what the demon was after. "I didn't finish telling Jace what happened." I said to the others, hoping to distract Simon and Jace from their argument.

"There's not much to tell, really," Isabelle said. "You went comatose, the demon told us to get its 'possession' back from the werewolves, and Luke had no idea what he wanted."

"Possession? What did it want?"

"It wouldn't tell us."

"So, let me see if I've got this straight. Basically, we've got to stop the demon, figure out what its after, find the thing, and find out why it wanted the thing in the first place?"

Isabelle nodded. "Basically, yeah."

"And how long do we have to do this?" he asked.

"Less than a week."

"A _week_?" Jace asked "That would be hard to do in a _month_. Even for me, and we all know how awesome I am. Do we have any idea what it is? Like a clue or anything?"

"That's why I'm here," Simon put in. "I was researching this stuff. And in the institute's library, I found only three objects besides the Mortal Instruments powerful enough for Greater Demons to fight over."

"And they are….?"

"A cup, not unlike the Mortal Cup. It lets the holder have control over demons. And yes, only demons. It can bind them." He looked up to make sure we were still listening before he continued. "The second one is a book full of dark spells that can summon demons and do all sorts of evil things. It's like all the dark books in the world combined. And the last one is a ring. The wearer controls the minds of anything. Demons, humans, downworlders, shadowhunters."

"And do we know the whereabouts of any of these items?" I asked.

"The cup is missing. The book is…" He checked his notes. "Missing. And for the ring, it says whereabouts unknown. So, I'd say that's missing too."

"So we have to figure out which one of these items the demon is after," Jace said thoughtfully. "It couldn't have been something the dead werewolf had, or they would have taken it off of him, so what could it be?"

"That," I said. "Is a very good question."

_**Please R&R people. You seem to forget that unless I know the story is good, I don't know whether or not to keep writing it. I want to know what you think of it. What do you think the demons after? The cup, the book, or the ring? Which do you think it should be? And do you like Jace as much as I do or should I have left him comatose?**_


	7. Chapter 7

_**Apparently, everyone agrees with me that Jace is the best character because as soon as I brought him back, reviews and favorites and stuff tripled. Though some aspects of the story, such as his magical awakening, might seem confusing, just remember that they are all in there for a reason.**_

_**Disclaimer: Much to my dismay, I do not own this series or these characters.**_

Simon's research had only turned up more questions. We had to find out more about these three items. Isabelle had even thought to look up the demon and see what lore there was about him. Needless to say, this took time, concentration, and effort. None of which Jace was willing to supply.

"Why do _I _have to do this?" He asked. "I could be out fighting demons and finding missing objects. Instead, I'm stuck here with you guys _researching._" He said the word as if it was disgusting, but then Jace had always been more of the action type.

"You have to research because everybody else has to research," Isabelle told him. "And if you say that you're better than everyone else, I swear I will kill you."

Jace made a face and muttered under his breath low enough that only I could hear. "But I _am _better than everyone else."

"Aww," I teased sarcastically. "Poor Jace, forced to work like the normal people."

Jace nodded solemnly, pretending to miss my sarcasm. "It's so hard." I rolled my eyes at him as we went to work.

An half and hour later, we had next to nothing. And after all of this fruitless effort on the research front, we decided to take a break. Well, Jace and I decided to take a break. Mostly Jace, but I went along with it.

Putting down the dusty tome in his hands, Jace stretched conspicuously. "What time is it?" he asked. Everyone turned to look at him, but no one answered. It was less than a minute later than the last time he asked. "Fine, be that way." He muttered.

A few minutes later, I looked up from the computer I was researching on to meet Jace's eyes. He was looking at me intently in that way that brought heat to my cheeks. I wondered how long he had been staring. I felt myself blush and tried to hide it. "What?" I mouthed.

His trademark grin spread over his face and his golden eyes lit up. "Wanna take a break?" He silently mouthed back. I gave him a look. He responded by putting on his best sad face. "Please?"

I glared at him but nodded in agreement. His face lit up again, all traces of his frown gone. "I'm hungry," Jace announced. He apparently had issues with being subtle along with his work ethic issues. "I think I'm going to go get some food." Before anyone could protest, he got to his feet.

"Really, Jace? It's been, like, thirty minutes at the most since we started." Isabelle said.

"And you cooked breakfast," Jace said in reply. Judging from Isabelle's face, that was a dumb thing to say. I could see Alec and Simon tense in their chairs nearby. Isabelle was sensitive about her cooking. "Now, you listen here Jace Lightwood." But Jace was already gone. No one expected him to come back.

I waited about ten minutes before I decided it was safe to leave. Not sure how to go about it, I cleared my throat. "Yeah, um, I kind of need to go to the restroom." I said delicately.

Simon raised his eyebrows. "Kind of?"

"Oh, you know what I meant," I snapped. Then gave him an apologetic look to tell him I wasn't offended. Everyone's attention was now on me. "Yeah, well. I'm going to go now." I hurried out of the library, knowing exactly where to go.

I went to Jace's room, where we always met when we shirked our duties. I opened his door without knocking, knowing he wouldn't care. When I entered, he was lying on his back on his bed staring at the ceiling. He didn't move as I came in.

"Jace?" I asked. "You okay?"

Jace sat up almost immediately. "Yeah, I'm fine." Then, he smirked and added in a totally different tone, "Don't you agree?" He waited expectantly.

"Hmmm…" I pretended to think about it. "I'm not sure."

"Come on," his smirk grew wider and he swung his legs over the side of the bed to where he was facing me. "You know you love me for my gorgeous body and sarcastic genius."

I tried to do the raised eyebrow thing like he did. "Correction," I responded. "I love you _despite _your so called 'sarcastic genius'." Almost as an afterthought, I added, "Though the gorgeousness _is_ a plus."

"That's what I thought," he said smugly, totally missing my 'sarcastic genius' comment. Seriously, the boy had a self-obsession complex. Jace's love for himself was eclipsed only by his love for me, and sometimes even that was iffy. He did love me; that much was for sure. As if he read my mind, his expression softened and his smile became gentle. "Come here," he ordered. "You're too far away."

Jace stretched and his shirt lifted, enticingly revealing a strip of skin across his stomach. While I was reluctant to give up the great view, I was eager to get closer to him. It wasn't that hard a decision. Sitting down on his lap, I wrapped my arms around his neck and waited for him to move. "You're still too far away."

I smiled seductively. I had practiced this smile on him before and it worked wonders. "What are you going to do about it?"

In answer, Jace pulled my face down to his and kissed me. His kissed me gently at first but with increasing fervor. His hands tangled in my red hair and he kissed me until we were both breathless.

He gave me a lopsided grin and said. "You're close enough now."

I didn't even bother to roll my eyes; I just kissed him again harder. We battled for control, pushing each other to our limits. Finally, I conceded. I was enjoying Jace's possessive kisses too much to try anything of my own. He leaned back so I was lying on top of him, never breaking our kiss. Jace slipped his hands up the back of my shirt, rubbing circles over my back.

I had been kissed by Jace before; often, as matter of fact. But every time, it was just as intense. As we came up for air, I hid my face in the curve of his neck. He seemed to like this position. I could tell because as he began kissing my neck and the curve of my ear, his hands never stopped their stroking. I would never admit it to Jace, but I loved this craving and desirous side of him.

Once I had regained my breath, I prepared myself to lose it again. I turned my head toward Jace, kissing him on the nose and then lower, purposely causing our lips to meet. I moved my hands up to caress his tawny curls. Jace rolled us over on his bed, so he was lying on top. He kissed me fervently and I kissed him back the same way.

I have no idea how long this went on, but finally, I remembered that we were supposed to be helping Simon, Izzy, and Alec in the library. I had a hard time disentangling my mouth from Jace's, but in the end, I succeeded. "Jace."

"What?" He looked distracted and his eyes were focused directly on my mouth. He seemed confused as to why I would stop him from this very satisfying activity.

"We're supposed to be in the library." I said. "The others are waiting for us."

"Screw the others," he said and leaned back down to kiss me.

I pushed him back slightly, but not before he got another kiss in. "_Jace._" He looked up this time and met my eyes. I didn't want to stop either, but we had to go back to reality some time.

"Fine." He rolled over to where he was no longer lying on top of me and brushed at his mussed hair. Reaching to feel my own hair, I could tell that it was a tangled mess. For now, there was nothing to be done.

"Come on," I told Jace, going to the door. I was all the way to the door when I realized he hadn't followed. I turned around to see him looking very pleased with himself. "What?"

He was grinning and openly staring at me. I watched as his eyes lingered on my lips and my hair. "Oh, nothing," he replied. This time he followed me.

When we got back to the library, the others had also taken a break. Simon and Alec were playing paper football, and Isabelle was busily painting her nails. "There you are!" Alec exclaimed as soon as we walked in.

"Paper football?" Jace asked dubiously.

"The bathroom?" Isabelle quipped. Jace looked confused, so she clarified. "According to Clary, she just spent," Isabelle made a show of checking her phone for the time. "Thirty minutes in the bathroom."

I looked down and blushed. "I never said I was staying in the bathroom." I told her defensively.

Jace turned to me and did that annoying eyebrow thing. "The bathroom? That's the best you could come up with?"

Isabelle let out a laugh. "I think you should have spent a little of that bathroom time in front of a mirror." I reached involuntarily to touch my hair. "You look like you've been rolling around on _someone_'s bed." Her glance at Jace left no doubt as to who this someone was. "Were you two making out or doing _something else_?"

I felt my face get even redder. "Give her a break, Izzy." Simon came to my defense, flicking the paper football at his girlfriend. Jace frowned at Simon as if that was his line. But we all knew that he had been enjoying every moment of this discussion, and the idea to defend me would never have occurred to him.

"I'm sorry, Clary." Isabelle apologized. "It was just too good an opportunity to pass up." My face was still red. I sat down, hoping to turn their attention away from me. Isabelle turned her attention to Jace, and a smirk slid over her face. "Did you enjoy your food, Jace?"

Jace didn't miss a beat. "It was delicious," he replied. He was as bad as she was. He leered at me as he sat down, still looking satisfied with himself. Later, I was going to have to find some way to bring him down a peg or two.

Eventually, we went back to researching. We weren't at it for long before Alec interrupted. "I think I've found something," he spoke up. "It's not the information we need, but it's a way to get the information."

"That sounds promising," Simon said.

"Maybe… but then again, maybe not," Alec looked doubtful.

"Why?" Isabelle asked.

"There's a warlock," Alec told us. "Someone Magnus knows. This guy deals in dark or powerful objects, but he's a shady character. He sells most his stuff on the black market."

"Sounds just like someone Maggs would be friends with," Jace, ever the antagonist, put in.

"Don't call him that," Alec snapped. "And I never said they were friends."

"Calm down, Alec," his sister told him. "Don't be stupid. You know Jace is just trying to bait you." She gave Jace a glare.

"If we could get a hold of this guy, we might be able to find some record of one of these things," Alec continued.

Perfect. This was just what we needed, a way to get the information. Too bad, we were going to have to go through some sleazebag criminal to get it.

_**Tell me what you think about the new chapter! Personally, I liked it. Then again, I'm kinda biased.**_


	8. Chapter 8

_**I'm apologizing beforehand for the lack of fluff in this chapter, but it was needed for the plot line. Just so you know, I am no longer writing randomly; I have a plan for the next few chapters. Oh, and I still don't own MI.**_

"So we're looking for…" Isabelle paused to check the piece of paper she held. "Norman Dunstan?"

"That's the name Magnus gave me," Alec replied. "He said that if anyone knew where those things were, it would be this guy." Alec looked glad to be of help.

"And we're sure we can trust him?" Jace asked.

Alec's smile disappeared. "Well… Magnus also called the guy a sleazebag, but for the right incentive, I'm sure he'll help us." He and Jace shared a glance.

"By that, I assume this incentive would be staying out of jail." Jace grinned and Alec nodded his agreement.

"So I take it this Norman Dunstan person is not a nice guy?" Simon addressed Alec.

"Nice?" Alec looked at him like he was crazy. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Kittens are nice. Warlocks are not." Under his breath, he added, "I should know."

"So what do we know about him?" Simon asked. Jace and Alec both frowned at him. Whether they liked it or not, Simon seemed to be just as much a part of this investigation as they were. It was obvious from their expressions that neither of them liked it; Alec for his protectiveness of his sister and Jace because…well, Jace just had an abrasive personality.

"Next to nothing."

"That's helpful." I said sarcastically. "Does your boyfriend know anything about Dunstan at all?"

Alec glared at me. The Clave frowned on same-sex relationships, and Alec still didn't appreciate people referring to his boyfriend as, well, his boyfriend. "He's a warlock, Clary." Alec said reproachfully. "They're secretive, half-demon creatures." His tone made me wonder which warlock he was talking about.

Jace raised an eyebrow. "Sounds like someone's mad at his boyy-friennnd." He dragged the word out to tease the black-haired boy. Alec glared at him, and I shoved my elbow into Jace's stomach. "Ow! What was that for?"

"Will you guys just shut up?" Isabelle shouted. Her voice came from far away. We all glanced around, looking for her. She was already a long way ahead of us; we hurried to catch up. Well, most of us hurried. Jace didn't.

"Jace," I called his name and dropped back to walk beside him.

"You called?" He wore his signature smirk.

"What if we don't find anything?" All my fears began to surface. "What if this guy is just another loser that doesn't know anything? What if…?"

He took my hands in his and pulled me to a stop. "Clary." I looked down at his feet, not wanting to meet his eyes. "Look at me, Clarissa." I knew he was serious when he called me by my real name. I looked up to meet his eyes. "That's better. Don't worry so much. We're going to come out on top. We're Nephilim, we always do. And plus, if all else fails, you've got me on you're side and you know I'd never let you down."

Looking into his golden eyes framed by light-colored lashes, I had to smile. He was so sure. He had told me once that he didn't believe in God, but he had so much faith inside him. That faith was in his love for me and his family. If nothing else could see us through, Jace's faith just might.

"Are you coming?" A voice called back to us. Simon was checking to see if we were okay.

We sped up our pace to walk with the others. Soon enough, we were nearing the destination Magnus had given us. It was a street in a not-so-nice area of Brooklyn. Unlike the streets where we had found the Greater Demon, these had people. Some were homeless bums that lived on the streets, but with increasing regularity, I began to see things that definitely were not human.

"What is _that_?" I whispered to Jace as a short person with green-looking skin passed by.

"That would be a goblin. They're very good for parties, especially when you get them drunk." The slight chuckle in his tone made me realize he spoke from experience. "They don't generally hang out in cities though." As our group continued down the street, we also saw a pixie and a few pale-skinned faeries.

When we neared the apartments listed, we saw that they were run down and dilapidated. The group stopped in front of number 687. "Is this the one?" Jace asked.

"They all look the same." Simon put in. He definitely had a point.

Isabelle ignored our doubts and said, "There's only one way to find out." There was a snarling, wolf-shaped knocker on the door that gave me the creeps. Isabelle, unfazed by it, reached forward to knock loudly.

There was no answer. No lights went on in the house, and we heard no movement. Isabelle knocked again, louder. This time, there was a shuffling noise and the door was opened just a crack.

"What do you want?" a short man was peering out of the crack in the door.

Jace stepped forward and took charge. "We need to speak with Norman Dunstan. I assume that's you?"

The man opened the door wider, enough to let us see he had greasy brown hair that covered his shifty eyes. "Don't know him," he said and abruptly tried to close the door. I didn't even see Jace stick his foot in the doorway until the man stepped back.

"Oh," Jace said, narrowing his eyes at the greasy-haired man. "I think you do."

"I might have some recollection…" the man trailed off. Jace stared him down. That beautiful, angular face could actually be very intimidating and downright scary at times. The man quickly caved. "What do you want?" he repeated, but he held the door open so that we could come in.

"We need to talk to you," Jace said again. "It's under the seal of the Covenant. Anything you say will be confidential."

When we were all inside, the man snapped his fingers and the door shut behind us. "You gotta believe me, I don't know anything." He looked at the five of us warily.

Jace gave the man a look of disgust. "We know you sell things on the Shadow World black market, Dunstan. We know you specialize in illegal objects. The Clave knows everything. There's no use pretending." The man backed up, his eyes wide. "The Clave might be willing to forget these transgressions," Jace continued. "_If _you tell us what we want to know."

Dunstan nodded frantically. "Of course, whatever you want." The Clave meted out justice as they saw fit. Sometimes, the punishment was harsh. Dunstan knew we were giving him a good bargain by letting him off.

"We want to know if you know where a cup is. Not just any cup, either."

"The Mortal Cup?" Dunstan scowled. "Thought you Shadowhunters had taken that."

"Not the Mortal Cup. Another."

The man looked at Jace doubtfully. "There's not another. Everyone knows that. Even fledgling shadowhunters should know that." Jace scowled at the man.

"Clary, could you come here for a minute?" Jace asked. Wondering what he had in mind, I came. "Do you think you could make a rune that causes whoever I touch to tell the truth?" he whispered in my ear. I looked at him doubtfully. I knew I could make a rune that made the wearer tell the truth, but this might be a stretch. I could see the rune's helpfulness if I succeeded.

"I'll try," I said out loud and Jace held out his arm. I got out my stele and began to draw on his arm. The glowing black mark came out of the stele as I saw it in my mind's eye. It worked.

"Now to try it out," Jace grinned. He leaned closer to me, and then reached out to touch my arm with his marked one. "Do you want to kiss me?" he asked in a low voice that only I could hear.

What kind of question was that for a time like this? "No," I lied. The mark flared brightly and Jace's grin spread.

"Perfect." He turned back to Dunstan who was now staring at us. So were Alec, Isabelle, and Simon. "Now I can tell if you're lying." He reached out to touch the man's arm. Norman Dunstan flinched away, but Jace gripped his arm forcefully.

The man glowered. "I've never heard of this cup you're talking about!" He repeated. We could all tell by the soft glow around Jace that he was telling the truth.

"There's a book," Isabelle interrupted. "Sometimes referred to as the Book of Shadows. It's not the Grey Book, but I think you've heard of it." Isabelle glared at the man. Her dark hair seemed to crackle around her; she was just as scary as Jace.

"I might've heard of it somewhere." The man said honestly.

"Do you know its whereabouts?" She asked.

"Well… I can't exactly recall." Jace's mark flared brightly and the man looked terrified.

"Will you stop that?" Alec demanded. "We're not going to kill you." Then he murmured low enough that only Simon and I who were standing close to him could hear, "Even though we want to."

"I sold a book just like that," Dunstan blurted. "But it was years ago." No bright light; he was telling the truth.

"Who did you sell it to?"

Dunstan licked his lips nervously. "A man by the name of Jay Rivera. He's the Shadow World equivalent of a mob boss. Not the kind of man you want to make mad."

"Now we're getting somewhere. How about a ring?"

"There are hundreds of rings for sale in my line of business."

"This ring is special." Simon spoke for the first time since we had entered the shifty-eyed man's house. "It allows the wearer to control the minds of just about anything."

Dunstan looked around the room and wouldn't meet his eyes. "What would a group of shadowhunter kids want with that lot of evil things?"

"I don't believe that's any of your business," Jace gripped the man's arm tighter. "Now tell us about the ring."

"That, little shadowhunter," Dunstan tried to pull away to no avail. "Is a ring of legend. No one has seen it in generations. The last time it was sighted, a line of killings followed. It has a cursed history."

"Go on," Jace said.

"Boy, if you don't let go of me, I'll turn you into a frog." Dunstan threatened. He was getting braver as he realized all we wanted was information.

"You do, and the Clave will have you hunted down and arrested." Jace lied. The Clave had no interest in a warlock like Dunstan, though they would find his possessions highly worthwhile.

"Fine." The man conceded. "Legend says that the ring once belonged to the angel Lucifer after he rebelled against God."

"It belonged to the Devil?" Jace asked doubtfully. "Why did he need it?"

"Legend says it was his before he became the embodiment of the devil; afterward, he no longer needed it. It is also said to have the power to change its shape. For each wearer, it holds a different form. That's all I know, I swear." Jace's marked glowed dully, proving him right.

Our group left the warlock to his business and headed home. We were done for the night. After that very productive meeting with Norman Dunstan, Simon went back to his house. The rest of us went back to the Institute. I knew my mom would be worried, but I had called her today so at least she knew I was all right.

Maryse and Robert were due back from Idris any day now, and as we piled into the elevator that led to the floor our rooms were on, Isabelle hoped out loud that they weren't back yet. "The second they hear about this Greater Demon thing, they'll insist we leave it to the grown-ups." She complained. "I'm almost eighteen! I might as well be a grown-up." This had always been a sore spot for Izzy.

"Who says they have to know?" Jace asked.

"They'll figure it…" Isabelle trailed off as the elevator doors opened.

We all whipped around to see what she was staring at. Standing out side the open elevator was someone we hadn't seen in almost two years. Someone I hadn't particularly wanted to see ever again. I froze upon seeing her. I could feel my expression change to a scowl.

"Hello, Lightwoods." The girl said pleasantly. "And Clarissa, of course."

"Hello, Aline." Isabelle replied.

_**Cliffy! I know everybody uses Aline and it's kinda become cliché, but I couldn't resist. You'll have to keep reading to find out why she's here. Now review please people!**_


	9. Chapter 9

_**Yay! I got out of school Friday, so no more school until August! ****Now that i got that out of the way, this chapter was really easy to write. Most chapters take forever, but this one just came out. As you can tell, reviewing does make me want to update faster. Remember that people. (hint, hint) Oh, and please don't hate me, but when Aline came back, you all knew what was going to happen. **_

_**Also, I don't own Jace, Alec, Aline, Idris, etc.**_

"What are you doing here?" asked Jace. I could hear the carefully neutral tone of his voice. I knew everyone in the room was remembering what happened last time Jace Lightwood and Aline Penhallow were alone together. By her expression, it was obvious that Aline was too.

"Hello, Jacey." She grinned smugly, almost like a cat and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder. "I decided that I wanted a taste of the wild depravity you seem to enjoy in New York, so far away from the eyes of the Clave." When she said the word depravity, her eyes traveled slowly over his body.

I hated the way she was eying him, like a prize to be won. Jace, standing close enough to touch me, must have felt me tense at her words. He reached to grab my hand and held it, wordlessly comforting me. Judging from the look in her eyes, this action wasn't lost on Aline.

"Aline?" A voice called from further down the hall. She turned, giving us a view of Robert Lightwood, Izzy, Alec, and Jace's dad. "Good," he said upon seeing us. "You guys are home. Follow me."

The four of us stayed frozen in the elevator for another few seconds. Isabelle was the first to move, stepping out of the elevator and taking Aline's hand with a fake smile. Alec was next, leaving Jace and me in the empty elevator. "Let's just see why she's here," Jace whispered into my ear. "After that, I'll make sure you don't have to see her again." He said it with his usual calm self-assurance, but I knew better than to believe him. It wasn't going to be that simple, especially if Aline still wanted him.

The Penhallows, the Lightwoods, and I all gathered in the library, so Maryse could fill Alec, Izzy, Jace and me in. "I'm sure you remember the Penhallows. They'll be staying here for a few weeks while we work together on a project for the Clave." Maryse said with a look that clearly said 'offend them and your dead'. She went on to explain this Clave-related project, but I didn't really care. My mind was stuck on one word.

Weeks? Every time I came to see Jace, I was going to have to see _her_ for _weeks_? I was glad when Maryse finally dismissed us to go to our various rooms. Needless to say, I went to Jace's. I always went to Jace's room; I slept there almost as often as I did in my own room. In his drawers, Jace kept my clothes as well as his own.

As we went to the hall where his room was, Aline seemed to be following us. "What?" she asked innocently when we turned to look at her. "This is my room." She motioned to the room beside Jace's and went in. Then she closed the door behind her, leaving us to stare at it. I definitely wasn't going home now, not when she was that close to _my _Jace.

"Well that was unexpected." Jace said, opening his own door. I only glared at him. "What?" he asked defensively. Then he sighed. "Okay, that's an understatement." I still didn't deign to smile at him.

Instead, I flopped back on his bed to scowl at the ceiling. "What got your panties in a wad?" Jace asked, trying to tease me into a better mood. It didn't work. I kept my gaze fixed on the ceiling. "Clary, what's wrong?" I could tell he was really starting to get worried. Good, let him stew.

"You." I finally replied.

"Me?" He stared at me incredulously.

"Yes, you!" I lowered my gaze from the ceiling to his face and sat up. "If you could keep your hands to yourself, I wouldn't even have a reason to be mad right now."

"I only kissed her to distract myself, Clary." He stared intently into my eyes. "It didn't mean anything. I only even flirted with her to try and forget about _you_."

"And now look what happened," I snapped, not letting his protests get to me.

"Nothing's happened, Clary! I still love you and only you. She doesn't mean anything. I'll make sure you don't even have to see her," he came to sit on the bed beside me. I could tell even without the mark glowing on his arm that he was serious and that he meant every word. "Please, Clary."

It was that word that put me over the top. Jace never said please to anybody. Even to me. "Fine," I sighed. "Can we just go to sleep?"

"Sure," he said, still looking at me intently to make sure I believed him. Whatever he saw in my eyes must have satisfied him because he got up to get clothes for us both to sleep in without another word.

Jace and I managed to make it through the next morning and most of the afternoon without seeing Aline. This was mostly due to the fact that we hid in his room making out. By dinner, my lips were thoroughly bruised and I was starving. In the end, it was our rumbling stomachs drew us from the secluded room.

"I just hope Izzy didn't cook," Jace said as we entered the kitchen. "Otherwise, we'd be better off staying in my room."

I kissed him gently on the lips. "I totally agree."

"Excuse me!" Oops. Isabelle sounded offended. I turned to see her holding out a ladle as if it was her whip.

"Sorry, Izzy," I said, holding up my hands in a gesture of innocence. She turned on Jace instead.

"I'm not," he said just loud enough for Isabelle to hear. Ignoring the dish sitting on the counter, he went over to the fridge and began digging through it.

"Jace Lightwood! You need to learn to watch your mouth." Isabelle waved her long-handled spoon at him ineffectively.

"And you, Isabelle Lightwood, need to learn to cook." His mild tone showed her that he didn't mean it offensively, but Isabelle didn't look as if she wanted to forgive him yet. In fact, she looked like she'd like to hit him with the ladle.

I tried not to laugh as she went back to her preparations for what was hopefully an edible meal. "We should go to Pandemonium tonight," she said to no one in particular.

"We're up for it." I told her. "Killing demons always puts Jace in a better mood." From his position over by the fridge with a container of cold ham, Jace nodded his agreement.

"I'll come too." The voice made me flinch.

I looked at Jace who had promised that I wouldn't have to see Aline anymore. He shrugged apologetically and mouthed, "I'll make it up to you." Then he went back to eating.

"Cool," Isabelle said. "Now I have call Simon and then to go tell Alec that he's coming too. We can leave right after we eat."

The meal wasn't edible. And we didn't leave directly after we ate. First, on Isabelle's orders, we had to go get dressed. She dragged me off to her room to dress me up like she normally did. Aline also disappeared into her room.

Isabelle got to work on my make-up. Then, she took my hair down and left it loose the way we both knew that Jace liked it. It took her forever to do all the small touches and little details. Finally, she stepped back to admire her handiwork.

"So we're done?" I asked anxiously.

"Not quite," She said and I sighed. "I found the perfect dress for you the other day. It will drive Jace crazy!" Isabelle was so excited for me that I almost forgot to be weirded out by the fact that she knew what would drive him crazy. Then again, she had dated enough guys to know exactly what they liked.

She went to her messy closet and dug through piles of clothes. Finally, she came up with the one she wanted and had me put it on. Turning to check my refection, I realized that it was gorgeous. The dress was a purple color that I was afraid would clash with my bright red hair, but it just made my hair look brighter. The chest was sequined with darker purple and the fabric on the rest of the dress was soft and light. It fell slightly above mid-thigh. It was gathered around the hem, emphasizing the shortness of the dress. Izzy was right; Jace would love it. I did too.

"So I can keep it?" I asked excitedly.

"Of course," she said as she started fixing her own make-up. "Do you know how short that dress would be on me?" She had a good point; the dress probably wouldn't even cover her butt.

When I descended the stairs to where the boys and Aline were waiting, Simon's eyes widened. "You can't wear that! It's too short!" he objected loudly. He no longer had a crush on me, but his brotherly feelings made him overprotective. He immediately shut up though as Isabelle followed me. Totally forgetting my indecent dress, Simon stared at her lustfully.

I turned to Jace, hoping he would look at me like that. He was standing a little too close to Aline for comfort, but Alec was between them. As he checked me out, his expression resembled Simon's. Jace leaned against the wall, and eyed me up and down. He unhitched himself from the wall and came closer, grinning all the while. "You look amazing," he whispered in my ear, his voice as soft as cat's fur.

"You too, hot stuff." He grinned wider, making him look even more amazing. But then Jace always looked amazing.

"Can we go?" Aline asked, sounding bored.

Jace offered me his arm and Simon offered Isabelle his. Alec, though he didn't swing that way, felt compelled to offer his arm to Aline. She looked at him awkwardly before taking it. Aline had been raised in a society that didn't accept homosexuals or downworlders. To her, both Alec and Simon were strange. Touching them was even stranger. She probably did consider it depravity.

When we got to Pandemonium, Isabelle immediately began to look for a demon. She soon spotted one. "Jace, you're up," She said. "It's a girl."

Jace was always bait for girl demons and Isabelle was always bait for guys. This was one thing that never changed. Alec was incompetent at flirting, and would scare the demon off. Jace would never let me play bait. Between him and Simon, I never got to do anything.

Because they weren't actually human, I preferred to think of demons as its. Eying the beautiful one Isabelle saw, I couldn't convince myself to think of her that way. She was definitely a girl. Aline dragged Jace out on the dance floor very near the demon. He gave me an apologetic look before following her. "What's she doing?" I asked Isabelle worriedly.

"Calm down, Clary. She's only helping him get closer to the demon." I couldn't bring myself to believe Izzy.

She turned back around to the bar to order Simon Vodka and blood and herself a lighter drink. Then, they too went to dance, leaving me and Alec at the bar. Alec watched everything with his usual worried expression but said nothing. I sat down heavily at the bar.

I tried to convince myself not to watch Aline and Jace, but I failed miserably. Jace moved away from Aline and closer to the demon as if to talk to her, but Aline pulled him back. Isabelle came back to sit beside me, sipping her drink as she cooled off. "See," she assured me. "Nothing's wrong."

She turned back to the bar. The second she did this, I saw Aline pull Jace closer for like the twentieth time that night. Instead of resisting like he had previously, he moved with her, grinding against her. I felt my jaw drop as he leaned even closer to her. I let out a strangled noise as Jace kissed her. It wasn't a peck either, they kissed passionately like they had the first time I had caught them making out.

Hearing my cry of distress, Isabelle whipped around. When she saw them her Jaw dropped too. She cursed in a language I didn't know. "I'm so sorry, Clary!" she told me. Then angrily, she said "I am going to castrate him." By now, they had gotten Alec and Simon's attention too, and all I could do was stare helplessly. Isabelle got up to berate Jace.

Before she got near the fervently kissing couple, Jace pulled away. He stared at Aline, his face full of shock. He looked as if he was just now realizing what he had done. Isabelle stared yelling at him, and we could hear them from all the way over here.

"What were you thinking, Jace? How could you do this to Clary?" She shouted.

Jace looked confused. "I didn't do it!" he said frantically. Jace and Isabelle were drawing the attention of other people.

"What do you mean you didn't do it, you bast-"

He interrupted her desperately. "I _mean _that I didn't do it!"

How could he deny that he's kissed Aline? They'd kissed openly enough for the whole club to have seen. Isabelle looked ready to kill him. I couldn't take it anymore. The shock wore off enough for me to know that I had to get away. Not caring who saw, I ran out of the club and onto the street.

_**Poor Clary! I feel sorry for her. What do you think Jace meant when he said that he didn't do it? Do you think he'll get together with Aline now? Review and tell me what you think. **_


	10. Chapter 10

_**I love reading reviews! Seriously, some of the smallest suggestions give me ideas. And a few of you guys are definitely on the right track with your guesses... I just can't say who yet. I would have updated sooner, but I spent most of yesterday and the day before at my friend's house.**_

_**Part of this chapter is from Jace's point of view because I felt that the guy deserved a chance to defend himself. The rest is from Clary's. I don't own anything.**_

**Jace**

"I can't believe you Jace!" Isabelle continued her rant as we all squeezed into a cab on the way home.

The female demon we had been after was completely forgotten, and I was still in shock. The only phrase that would come out of my mouth was, "I didn't do it." Which made me sound like a freaking idiot. Isabelle clearly didn't believe me. Alec didn't. Aline didn't, and judging from his glare, Simon didn't either.

The scary thing was that it was true. I didn't kiss Aline; not purposely anyway. I couldn't remember a single thing that happened during thirty seconds that ruined my life. One second, I was trying to get away from Aline. The next, we had our tongues down each other's throat. It couldn't have been very long, but I couldn't remember enough to know.

The worst part was Clary's expression. She stared at me with a look of abject horror and betrayal on her face. Clary. I had unwittingly broken her heart. She looked so lost. But by the time I had realized what was going on, she was gone. I had no idea where she went, and for all I knew, she was wondering the streets alone and defenseless.

"I don't see what the problem is," Aline said from her spot beside me. "So Clary saw me kissing her brother? What's wrong with that?"

"Her brother?" Isabelle practically shouted before I could say anything. "Didn't you hear?" Isabelle had never liked Aline, and she considered any harm to Clary as an affront to herself. I could hear the relish in her voice as she continued. "They're _not_ related."

"They're not?" I could feel Aline tense beside me. "Oh… I didn't know." Isabelle's expression was one of disbelief, but Aline sounded pretty serious. I didn't believe she was a bad person; even if she did lack manners.

"Obviously." The sarcasm in Izzy's voice cut through my shock.

"I let her go. I should have gone after her. Oh, Clary. What if she's out there all alone? What if she gets hurt? I have to talk to her, make sure she's okay." The words poured out of my mouth. I knew I was babbling, and I couldn't stop. They all stared at me, but I was too distracted to notice. "What if-"

"Jace. Isabelle. Just calm down for a minute," Alec interrupted. "We need to get back to the Institute and someone needs to go see if Clary's all right."

"I will. I need to tell he-" I was cut off again by Isabelle.

"Oh, no." She told me. "Clary needs time to cool down. If you go see her right now, she might put all of those skills you taught her to good use and beat your deserving butt to a piece of pulp. And Alec, of course she's not all right!"

"I'll go," Simon offered. He'd had surprisingly little to say on the subject. If only his girlfriend were the same way.

"I need go see her." I tried again. They all ignored me and kept talking. "Let me out of this car. I need to find Clary."

"Jace, Isabelle's right." Aline said. "If I was your girlfriend and I saw you kiss me, I'd probably try to… well, let's put it this way. It wouldn't be pretty."

"Fine." I gritted my teeth. This, to put it crudely, sucked balls. Right now, all I wanted to do was hit something and break it into little pieces. I wanted to train until I was lost in the fight. Kill a demon or two or ten. Whether it was practice or real, I didn't care. I wanted to do anything that would get my mind off of Clary.

"Here's our stop." Isabelle's words broke through my misery.

I got out of the taxi and slammed the door behind me, ignoring Simon's protests as it barely missed his face.

**Clary**

As I ran out of Pandemonium onto the street, I couldn't get the picture of Jace and Aline out of my mind. I rubbed at my face, trying to get it to go away. It was as horrible as the first time I had caught them together. I had the hardest time believing that Jace would do that to me again. If I hadn't seen it, I wouldn't have believed it. But I had seen it and he had done it.

This was exactly like the last time. I knew that if I had stayed, Jace and I would have had a huge fight. The only difference was that this time Isabelle was on my side. If there was anyone I would have chosen to be on my side- before tonight, it would have been Jace- it would be Isabelle. But that didn't take anything away from the sickening hurt I felt. Nothing did.

I was so absorbed in my troubles that I didn't pay any attention to where my feet took me. I let myself wander down whatever path they wanted to go. Because I was thinking about Jace, I didn't notice as the roads became more and more familiar. I didn't see the familiar neighborhood or notice the run down house.

I didn't see anything until my shadowhunter instincts broke through the glamour. Oh, crap. I muttered a worse expletive under my breath. Where did my stupid feet take me, you ask? To his freaking house! I got there just in time to see a cab pull into the driveway. I hid behind a post and watched them pile out of the car.

Jace came first, slamming the door behind him and stomping into the house. He had screwed up and now he was mad at everyone else? He would be a drama queen about it, too. Simon yelped as Jace slammed the door in his face. Aline was apologizing profusely to both Alec and Isabelle. Served her right, the skank.

They all went in the house, leaving Simon outside. Surprisingly, instead of following them he went and got into his car. He looked really worried, so he was probably coming to find me. When he got to my house, he wouldn't find me. I didn't want to be found.

I let my feet guide me again. Probably not a smart decision after last time, but my attention was on my newly boyfriendless state, not the pavement. This time, I didn't go anywhere in particular. I just wandered. A surprising amount of people were out this late, but that was New York for you. It took all types to make up a city like this.

The longer I wandered the less people I saw. Soon, there was no one on the deserted stretch of road but me. I tried to ignore the creepy feeling I began to notice. It felt as if someone was watching me, following me. And it was really spooky. When I turned around to check behind me, I saw no one.

Turning back around, I jumped when I saw a man sitting on the side of the road. I was positive he wasn't there before. He looked to be middle aged and homeless, and he was staring straight at me. My hand went straight to the knife that was tucked in my waist band. Jace's knife. I didn't have time to think of that now; I walked faster to get away.

When I thought I was going to get away unscathed, the man got to his feet. He was surprisingly agile for a homeless person. Crap, crap, crap. That became my mantra as my shadowhunter senses finally kicked in enough for me to break through his glamour. It was a demon. Crap. And not just any demon either, it was the one that knocked my boyfriend- ex-boyfriend- unconscious just by waving his hand. What was his name? Botis. Crap. Time for another conversation with a demon.

"Hello there, little shadowhunter." It laughed evilly. Unlike the female demon at the club, it was easy to think of this one as an it. Its serpentine body creeped me out even more than the homeless person's stare had. "Did you miss me?" I refrained from telling the demon heck no and just stared at it. I had wanted to be distracted from Jace, but not by a demon.

Getting down to business, Botis said, "Have you recovered my possession?"

"The werewolves said they didn't have it, so we're still looking." I told the demon. It was true. I just omitted the part where we weren't going to give it to Botis when we found it.

"They had it." The Greater Demon said. "And now it is right under your nose. You must find it. Or do you want _that boy_ to lose consciousness again?" The demon laughed again. "Or are the pair of you in a fight?"

There was something about the way the demon said it that put me on edge. How did Botis know that Jace and I were in a fight? More importantly why did the demon care? "How do you know that?" I asked suspiciously.

"I have…" It paused for inflection. "Eyes, if you will, that tell me the most useful things." I backed up cautiously. The Greater Demon smiled maliciously. "These eyes are found in the most unusual places."

Was Botis insinuating that someone in our group was a demon? I didn't believe him. Jace, Izzy, and Alec were too passionate about killing demons to help them. I knew them too well and couldn't believe that of any of them. Not even Aline would spy for the other side. She was raised in Idris. The Clave would have smoked her out long before now if she was bad.

"What do you mean?" I asked carefully, still backing up.

For every step I took backward, the demon took one forward. "It would be smart to make sure you could trust your friends before you worry about your enemies." The demon said enigmatically. So Botis _was_ insinuating that someone close to me was for the demons.

"No one I know would do that," I told the Greater Demon firmly.

"I wouldn't be so sure," it said. "Some cooperate against their will."

"Ohh-kay. So what are you possessing someone or something?" The demon only smiled that same malignant smile. Crap, crap, crap. I hate demons. "So you are possessing someone. Care to tell me who?"

"Find my possession. And find it soon. Or the boy dies." The demon said, abruptly changing the subject. With that parting remark, it was gone.

By possession, I assumed Botis meant what we were looking for, not the person it was possessing. But that made me think. Who had been acting weird lately? Who had been doing things I would never in a million years expect them to do?

I could only think of one. Jace Lightwood. He had kissed Aline, and then protested that he hadn't done it. Both were things I wouldn't expect Jace to do. Ever. However, they were both things a demon would do to break us apart. If you couldn't trust your own boyfriend, you couldn't trust anyone. Have I ever mentioned how much i hate demons? The only comfort in this whole situation was that Jace hadn't cheated on me.

It was too late to do anything about it tonight. Tomorrow, I would have to deal with this. The problem would wait until then. It would have to. For now, I went to the one place I was always welcome. Home. With warm food, a loving mom, and my own bed, it seemed like Heaven compared to the piece of crap my life had just become.

_**This is definitely not my favorite chapter; sorry if it's badly written. **_

_**So, we now have an evil demon, a depressed Clary, and a possessed Jace. Really, we're not in a much better position than we were last chapter. But if you want me to fix it, you'll have to review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

_**I was reading the latest Vampire Academy book, and I finished it in one night. It was so. Freaking. Frustrating. For over half of the book, I wanted to throw it at the wall. Too bad I'm too in love with books to do that. But I gotta give Richelle Mead this; the plot line is amazing. Especially considering it's a vampire book.**_

_**Back on topic, I want to dedicate this chapter to **_**Serenity Shadowstar **_**for helping me with ideas in previous chapters. And also to **_**Vasilisa Dragomir **_**and**_** Immortal42 **_**because their reviews gave me ideas for parts of this chapter. I only own the plot**_**.**

For the past two years, my home had been Luke's house. When our house (apartment) had been destroyed by a fight with a Ravener demon, Luke had let my mom and I move in with him. This arrangement was only supposed to last until we found a house of our own, but somehow we had never gotten around to moving out.

When I walked into the kitchen, both mom and Luke were sitting at the table looking expectantly at me. "Hello, Mom. Hey, Luke." I said, wondering why they were staring at me.

"We have some amazing news, honey!" Jocelyn, my mom, sounded really excited. Like _in love_ excited.

The only thing that could make her that happy was if… I turned to look at Luke. He was beaming. No. Way. From their totally smitten looks, I could easily guess what had happened. "You might want to sit down for this." Mom told me. To appease her, I sat down and waited for their big news.

"We're getting married!"

I looked at Luke again for confirmation. He nodded excitedly; I hadn't ever seen him so excited about anything. He looked kind of like a kid who'd just been told he could eat junk food for supper. "Finally!" I said. Now they could quit pretending that they didn't share a room when they thought I was asleep.

"What?" They both looked confused.

"I love you Luke," I smiled. "And I'm really glad you finally got the guts to ask her. But that took _forever._" Luke looked down ruefully and my mom's smile got even wider. They would make a great couple. Everyone had already been thinking of them as a couple for years anyway. I celebrated with them for a few more minutes. Mom wanted to go out to eat, but Luke and I convinced her we could do that tomorrow. When it was actually time for a meal.

It would figure that my mom's life was going great while mine went down the toilet. I was kind of jealous, but I was definitely happy for her and Luke. Having heard their big news, I turned to go to my room. "Oh, Clary," my mom called after me. "Simon came by earlier. He said he wanted to check on you. Did something happen?"

"No, mom." I lied. Thirty minutes earlier, I would have told her everything. But if Jace was possessed like I thought, the only problem I had was Aline.

I went to my room and closed the door softly behind me. I went straight to my bed and flopped down with my clothes still on. I rolled over and stared at the ceiling. It seemed like I had one long day after another and no time to relax.

"Clary."

I jumped off the bed and flipped the light switch. So much for my time to relax. My heart beat didn't slow down until I turned around and realized that it was just Simon. "You scared the crap out of me!"

I saw a smile turn up the corners of his mouth. "So I noticed." I sat back down on the bed with a heavy sigh.

"Why are you here?" I asked, covering my face with my hands. "To tell me you were right about Jace being a stupid, cheating butthole?"

"I would use stronger words than that." Simon said jokingly. When I lifted my head to meet his eyes, his expression sobered. "I came to see if you were okay."

"That would depend on what you mean by okay."

Simon looked at me thoughtfully before he opened his mouth. "I know what you mean. At least your relationship was good while it lasted. Mine was screwy the whole way through."

I looked up at him curiously. "You talk like it's over. Did you give up on Izzy?"

He shrugged. "Surprised I haven't before."

I'm sure he could see the scowl on my face. How could he dismiss their relationship so easily? Every second when I thought Jace and I were related, being around him was complete torture. The only problem he and Izzy had was themselves. "How can you sound so… so blasé about it? I thought you really loved Izzy."

"I thought I loved you too." He pointed out. Seeing my scowl deepen, he added, "And I still do, just not in the same way."

"She ignores me until she wants something. She never opens up about anything; it's like she's got this wall she hides behind." He wasn't even talking to me anymore; he was lost in his own thoughts. "If I ever pulled anything like what Jace did, she wouldn't run off. She wouldn't cry or anything. She'd probably just do something worse- like sleep with some random guy- to get back at me."

"Aw, Simon." I went to sit beside him. "You just have to get through to her."

"What if I don't want to get through to her? What if I just want…?" Simon looked up, meeting my eyes. In his brown eyes, I saw some intense feeling hidden there, but I couldn't tell what it was. It could just as easily have been love or hate. It was true what they said that the line between the two was a thin one.

"You don't know what you want," I told him sympathetically.

"Yes, I do!" He thundered. I stood and took a step away from him. "I want…" Again, he proved that he had no idea what he wanted.

I took another step back. This wasn't like Simon; he was beginning to scare me. As I backed up, something wormed its way into my mind. The demon had never said who he possessed. I had just assumed it was Jace. What if it really was Simon? I started to back up the other way, moving closer to the door.

"Clary," Simon said. He changed the topic abruptly, looking as if he had come back to himself. "What's wrong?"

I threw open the door and hurried out of it. "Clary?" Simon called worriedly. "Where are you going?"

I was almost running when I made it to the kitchen where my mom and Luke were still sitting. "What's wrong?" Jocelyn asked. "Is that Simon I hear?"

"Nothing and yes." I glanced furtively over my shoulder. "Can I go see Jace for a little while?"

My face must have given my nervousness away because they both looked puzzled. "Sure," Luke said. "But Clary…" Before he could finish the sentence, I was out the door.

I took a cab to the Institute, arriving there quickly. I walked up the steps and let myself in. The Lightwoods didn't bother to lock their doors because no one ever came to the run down church it appeared to be. I wandered down the front hallway, trying to figure out how to find Alec and Isabelle without alerting Jace or Aline the Skank.

I opened the door to the kitchen and almost collided with the person on the other side. I hoped like crazy it wasn't Jace. Looking up, I saw that my luck held. It was Izzy. "Isabelle!"

I must have sounded a little too relieved because she gave me a funny look. "Are you here to talk to Jace?" She asked. I shook my head. "I would feel sorry for him if he didn't deserve whatever you want to say to him."

I hadn't even thought about the implications of Simon being demon-possessed. It meant that Jace really _had _kissed Aline. The pain from before was back, but I shook it off. "I'm not here to see Jace."

"He's being such a drama queen," continued the unusually oblivious Isabelle. As she rambled Church, the Lightwoods' cat, strutted into the room. "He won't come out of his room. Not even to eat. He's convinced Alec to take his meals to him. He's really broken up about it. Kinda surprising considering-"

"Isabelle!" I interrupted. "I'm not here to see him."

"Oh." She was silent for a minute before something came to mind. "Then why are you here?"

"Finally, we get to the point." I said. "I need to talk to you and Alec about something. It's really important, so I would appreciate if you'd get him."

"The easiest way to find him is…" She turned to look at Church. Church had some innate sense that allowed him to find anyone anywhere in the Institute. He was very useful when you needed to find someone, if he deigned to help you.

Church decided to take pity on me and help the two of us find Alec. I hesitated when he led us down the hallway Jace's room was on, but I followed. When we passed by Aline's door, I could hear a loud laugh coming from inside. I paused to listen.

"Yeah, it was _so_ funny," Aline's voice came through the door. She stopped talking as she listened to whoever she was on the phone with. "Yeah. Those backwoods losers fell for it hook, line, and sinker."

Isabelle stood beside me, also listening. "I know," Aline gushed. "Yeah, Jace is totally hot. And thanks to me, he's available." I saw Isabelle's eyes widen. "I made sure she saw. It was just a matter of time before he caved and made out with me again. I didn't think he'd be stupid enough to do it in public though."

Isabelle was frantically mouthing something at me, but I wasn't paying attention. I was too busy listening to Aline cold-heartedly discussing her plan to ruin my relationship. And she was laughing about it! Isabelle got tired of mouthing and pulled me away from Aline's door.

"That skank told us she didn't know you two weren't related!" Isabelle fumed. "Did you hear that? She called us backwoods losers. Who does that dirty tramp think she is?"

I gritted my teeth. It was sad, but a part of me wanted the demon to be controlling Jace. It would be better than having a lying, cheating jerk of a boyfriend who kissed with people like Aline while he was dating me.

I looked around, noticing that Church was gone. We shouldn't even have been obsessing over this. We had bigger issues than petty high school problems like Aline's quest for the hottest guy. She might be petty, but she wasn't dangerous to anything but relationships. The demon on the other hand...

"Isabelle, we can deal with her later." I said, interrupting her second rant of the evening. (The first being the whole Jace issue). "Right now, we need to find Alec."

Since Church abandoned us, we had to find Alec on our own. After twenty minutes worth of searching, we found him in the library.

"What are you doing here?" Alec asked. He looked up from the book he was holding. His dark hair fell across his eyes.

"I can't come visit a friend?" I asked innocently, motioning to Isabelle. Alec gave me a look. "Fine. I have something important to tell you."

"And you felt that Jace and Aline didn't deserve this information?" Alec asked. I glared at him. Now was not the time to be a butt. "Sorry."

"Okay, so I ran into that stupid demon again. After I… left Pandemonium." I couldn't bring myself to say after I saw Jace kiss Aline. "And it insinuated that it possessed someone. Someone unwilling. Someone close to me."

Isabelle looked excited by this news. She absently twirled her dark hair around her finger. "It must be Jace!" She said excitedly. "He kept saying he didn't kiss Aline when he so obviously did."

My face twitched. "Oh, sorry." She apologized. "Do you think it's him?"

"I don't know." I kept my doubts about Simon to myself.

"Wait a second," Alec interrupted. "Demons lie all the time. They're _demons._ Why should we trust this one?"

"Because it makes sense." Isabelle told him, like it was obvious. "Demons always tell the truth when they know it will hurt. Seriously, why else would Jace cheat on Clary in plain sight of everyone?" I made a face. Why did she keep bringing that up? "Sorry again, Clary."

"Yeah, but what if this demon's just trying to get us not to trust each other? What if it wants to break us apart?" Alec always had to be the logical one.

"We're already breaking apart. I still think it's got Jace." Isabelle resolutely wanted the cheating Jace to not be real. "Though I will owe him an apology later."

"Okay, say this demon is telling the truth. How do we figure out who he's possessing?" Alec asked, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"We figure out who _it _is possessing by looking for weird behavior." I told him. He didn't look like he believed me, but maybe he just didn't want to think of something like that happening to his best friend.

Alec and Isabelle argued about it, neither wanting to give in. "Jace wouldn't do something like that." Isabelle said for the fifth time. "Maybe to other girls, but not to Clary. We all know how much he loves her." Alec's expression softened and I knew he agreed.

"Yeah, but..." He continued.

"Wait." I said, deciding to tell them about Simon. "Simon came over to my house earlier. He was acting weird too."

"Simon?" Isabelle's eyes widened in alarm.

I nodded. "My mom and Luke announced that they were getting married." Their eyes widened. "Simon was waiting for me in my room. He was talking about..." I trailed off and looked down. I couldn't quite bring myself to meet Isabelle's concerned eyes. "He was talking about Izzy." I figured I would spare her the details. "And he kind of freaked out. It was really unlike him."

Alec took one look at his sister and said, "He's not possessed, just upset. He'll get over it." I had the feeling he said it more to reassure Isabelle than because he believed it. Isabelle wasn't saying anything or responding. "Izzy? You okay?" Alec asked worriedly.

She shook her head as if to clear it. "Yeah," she said. Once again, she looked completely in control. "I'm fine."

"This is a lot to take in, Clary. It's late and we all need sleep." More Alec logic. "Maybe we should give it a rest for tonight and go to bed for now."

"Can I sleep here for the night?" I really didn't want to chance Simon still being at my house.

"Sure." I knew Mom and Luke wouldn't mind, and tomorrow we could pick up where we left off. "Oh, and tell your mom congratulations."

_**I hate to give stuff away, but just so you know, I only do happy endings. Sad ones make me cry. So, even if I put the characters through the worst events of their lives, they're going to end up happy. Hope that eases some of your minds. Also, I don't cuss so I might insinuate bad words, but I won't write the words out. So if some of my adjectives don't seem accurate, that's probably why.  
**_

_**Sadly, I won't be able to update for at least a week because I leave for a church youth choir trip to New York tomorrow. I apologize in advance, but I promise I will update asap when I get back. R&R!  
**_


	12. Chapter 12

_**I haven't updated recently because as I said previously, I've been in New York. And I'm learning that it's hard to get back into the swing of writing a chapter every few days when I haven't written anything in over a week. It took me forever to come up with the ideas for this chapter, so I hope you appreciate my effort. :)  
**_

The first thing I was aware of was the light that flooded the room. Even with my eyes closed, I could feel the brightness of it. I rolled over and pulled the covers over my head, closing my eyes tightly against the sunlight. I felt myself drifting back into oblivion.

The second thing I was aware of was the insistent voice calling, "Wake up, Clary!"

"Go away," I told the voice groggily. My internal clock told me that it was too early to do anything and that included opening my eyes.

"It's time to get up, sleepy head." The voice came again. A pair of gentle hands shook me. I shrugged them off. Jace knew that I didn't like getting up early. Why was he bugging me? "Clary!"

Oh. As I began to wake up, I realized that the voice was not Jace's and the person attached to the voice was not Jace. It was Isabelle. I couldn't help the pang of disappointment that this news brought my heart. More often than not, I woke up to Jace's gorgeous face. While Isabelle's face was just as conventionally beautiful, the sight of her did nothing to console me.

"What do you want, Izzy?" I asked. I was made grumpy by the new revelation that I would no longer be seeing Jace's handsome face every morning.

She wrinkled her nose. "Don't be such a grouch, Clary. I cooked breakfast."

"That's supposed to make me feel better?" I asked. It was a well known fact that most of Isabelle's concoctions were toxic. I had to admire her determination, though. She cooked almost every day despite the horrifying results.

"Just get dressed." She said haughtily and flounced out of the room.

After she was gone, I sat up in bed. I looked around the room and realized that it was the same room I had used a year ago, before Jace and I got together. I hadn't been here in forever, but it was beginning to look as if it would become my room again. Any change of clothes I might have had here was in Jace's room, and I really was not inclined to go there any time soon. Luckily, Isabelle had laid an outfit across the foot of the bed. I picked up the pile of clothes and realized that they were mine. Isabelle must have gone into Jace's room to get them.

A few minutes, a shower, and a little make-up later, I was ready to leave the safety of my room. When I got to the kitchen, Isabelle was no where to be found. The only person in the room was Aline. I stood there watching her as she leaned over to sample something from the pot sitting on the stove. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," I warned her, knowing that she wouldn't listen. Her only reaction was to sneer at me as she went back to what she had been doing.

I couldn't help but laugh at the face she made as she tried Isabelle's food. She glared at me, still trying not to gag. Isabelle bustled into the kitchen in a different outfit from the one she had worn to wake me up. She walked in just in time to see Aline try her food. "Like it?" she asked hopefully, momentarily forgetting how terrible Aline was.

"It's horrible," Aline replied truthfully. She grabbed a napkin off of the table and began to swipe at her tongue with it. She looked comical, and I kept laughing at her.

"Look, you skank." Isabelle said, glaring back at Aline. "You have no right to criticize my food. You're a lying, sneaking female dog that deserves-"

"Calm down, Izzy," I tried to soothe her. Getting mad at Aline wasn't worth it, and the food really was bad. "Or you're gonna hurt yourself."

"The only thing I'm going to hurt is her face." Isabelle said. "Who does she think she is sashaying in here and making fun of us behind our backs. Lying like the dog she is. Breaking you and Jace up. Making everyone..."

"Izzy, I'm serious." I said warningly. Aline didn't seem to be at all affected by Isabelle's tirade. She was preoccupied by the orange juice bottle she was trying to open.

Isabelle stopped. She had been unusually volatile for the past few days, but then again so had Simon. I figured there was trouble going on in their relationship. And this whole demon crap didn't help.

Isabelle was still seething a few minutes later when Jace sauntered into the room looking unconcerned. Aline had settled down at the table to eat her breakfast. Isabelle and I were still glaring at her. Jace seemed not to notice this as he walked past everyone to the fridge. He dug a milk carton out of the refrigerator, and strolled over to the table where Aline was sitting. Without ever acknowledging me or Isabelle, he leaned over and gave Aline a kiss on the cheek.

My stomach twisted into a knot. It was supposed to be me that he kissed like that. I was supposed to be the first person he looked at when he walked into the room. Aline sent a smug, cat-like grin at us before pulling Jace's face down to hers for a real kiss. I thought nothing could hurt more than seeing them together that first time, but I was wrong. It just got worse and worse. I felt my eyes fill with tears and I made a break for the door.

I barely made it out the door before the tears broke free. As I sank down against the wall and covered my face with my hands, I felt tears gush out. What did he see in her? What did Aline have that I didn't have?

I was so consumed with the pain that at first I didn't hear the shouting that ensued from the kitchen. "You're just becoming more and more of a jerk, Jace!" Isabelle shouted at him. Her volatile temper had once again risen to the surface. She hurled obscenities at Jace, her voice rising with each word. "How could you do this to Clary?" Izzy asked. I knew she was mad at Jace, but part of her still felt he was the victim of the situation, so I knew her outburst had to do with more than that. "All you men are the same!" Isabelle was shouting now. "And… and…"

Silence greeted her outburst. Finally, Jace's voice cut through the tension. "Are you done yet?" From his voice, I could tell he was enjoying this. That definitely wasn't Jace in there.

I opened the kitchen door a crack, just enough to see what was happening. Just as I had suspected, Jace had that smug smile back on his face. Aline looked quite surprised, and I guessed she had seen Isabelle mad, but never as enraged as she had just shown herself to be. "I take it you're done giving me the third degree," Jace said. Without waiting for a reply, he went back to making out with Aline. I let the door close and got to my feet.

On the same hallway, there was a small alcove with a chair in it. That was where I sat as I mulled over Isabelle's unexpected outburst. When I heard her slam out of the kitchen, I realized I hadn't gotten far enough away for privacy. Isabelle walked right by me. She was staring at the ground and muttering about PDA under her breath.

She was all the way at the other end of the hallway when she ran into Alec. I got up to check on her. I was beginning to suspect that something was wrong with her. "What was all that about?" Alec asked before I could say anything. "I could hear you yelling from down the hall."

Isabelle proceeded to tell him what had happened. She finished with, "So I'm positive it's Jace who's possessed." When she was done, he glanced down the hall. I could tell that Alec also began to suspect that something was wrong with his sister.

"This isn't the best place to talk about this." He shot Isabelle one last worried glance before continuing towards the library.

When we were seated in the plush seats of the spacious library, Alec continued to speak. "Isabelle, I really don't think…"

"I _know _Jace is the one being possessed, Alec." Isabelle said again. "Call it a shadowhunter sixth sense or some crap like that, but I'm positive about this." Alec still looked as if he didn't believe in the whole possession thing. It was rare, something only heard of in legends about old demons.

"What about Simon?" I asked. "He was acting weird too."

"No," Isabelle shook her head. "It's not him." Then I saw something that I wouldn't have believed had I not saw it with my own eyes. There was a faint blush on Isabelle's face and she wouldn't meet mine or Alec's eyes.

"What is it Izzy?" I asked. She was really starting to worry me. "What's wrong with Simon? Or you for that matter?"

"Nothing." She said, but her voice didn't come out completely even. "It's just…"

She was interrupted by the sound of the library door opening and slamming shut. We all raised our eyes to see Simon standing in the doorway. I felt my features slide into a fake smile. "Simon." I said, still holding the smile. "It's so good to see you."

He knew me well enough to know that I was mad at him. He sent a nervous glance at Isabelle who was still staring at the floor. "What's wrong?" He asked.

"What would make you think something's wrong?" I asked.

"Don't play dumb with me Clary. Why did you run away last night and why are you looking at me like that?"

"Have a seat." Put in Alec. "And maybe we'll tell you."

Isabelle finally seemed to gain control of herself. "They want to know if you're possessed." She said flatly, looking Simon in the eye. Isabelle was passionate about everything. It was a major part of her personality. She was passionate about everything from cooking to fighting to Simon. I had never seen her look as emotionless as she did right then.

"Of course I'm not possessed." He looked at us like we were stupid.

"Which is exactly what someone who was possessed would say." I pointed out.

"Have you been experiencing any black outs?" Isabelle queried. "Are you missing chunks of time?"

"What is this, a freaking Harry Potter movie?" Simon demanded. I was reminded of when those movies had first come out and Simon and I had seen them together.

"The books are better," I said absently, the fake smile slipping away.

"Just answer the question, Simon." Isabelle said, looking him in the eye. He looked back her, his expression impenetrable.

"Nope. No black outs."

"There you go." Isabelle said. She gave me an I-told-you-so face.

"Fine." I said, though I still wasn't quite sure. "But how do we know he's not lying?"

"What were you doing this time yesterday?" Alec asked Simon, helping despite his disbelief.

"Playing paper football with you." It was Alec's turn to give me an I-told-you-so look.

"Well, what did you eat for breakfast?" I asked.

Simon looked at me incredulously. "Blood."

I smiled sweetly. "Wrong answer."

Alec and Isabelle didn't seem to understand how this could be the wrong answer because he obviously did have blood for breakfast. I knew Simon well enough to know that he also had something else. "Fine." He frowned. "A bowl of lucky charms fixed for me by my lovely mother. Are you happy now, Clary?"

I nodded and my smile was real this time. Simon's mom had given him the same breakfast every day since he was four. While he pretended not to want it, I knew he secretly loved the gesture and the cereal. That wasn't something a demon would consider worth remembering.

"See," Isabelle told me pointedly. "I told you it was Jace."

"What was Jace?" Simon asked and we had to explain the whole situation to him, too. We were left with the conclusion that Jace was possessed, Aline was a skank, and we still had no idea what the demon wanted.

There's just one thing I don't get," I said, glad that the issue of my best friend being possessed by an evil demon was over. "If nothing's wrong, then what's got the two of you so freaked out?"

Neither Simon nor Isabelle would look at me or Alec. They shared a single glance. "Well…" Isabelle started and it all came out in a rush.

_**This chapter was mainly to set up the next few chapters, but it did tell you that Simon's okay. Because I'm spending the night with two different friends this weekend, I may not update as soon as I'd like to, but I will do it as soon as I am able. **_

_**I want to see if anybody can guess what's wrong with Isabelle and Simon, so please Review!**_


	13. Chapter 13

_** I seriously love you guys! You're great for my self-esteem and your reviews totally crack me up. Sorry, I didn't update sooner, but I've had writer's block for this story. The characters all went on strike and none of them sounded like themselves. Some of them still don't sound like themselves. This chapter has a total lack of fluff, but it's also necessary for the plot.**_

"So let me get this straight," I said, still trying to process this information. "You're pregnant?"

Isabelle's frown grew deeper as she unconsciously reached to touch her stomach. "That's what the tests say," she replied. With that one nonchalant answer, she sounded more like herself than she had in days.

"Tests? So you took more than one?"

Isabelle looked up at me in disbelief. "More than one?" She echoed. "I took three. All of them had the same stupid little pink plus."

I glanced at Alec to see how he was taking the news that his almost eighteen year old sister was pregnant. His jaw was clenched and he was glaring at Simon. I followed his gaze to find Simon staring dully at the floor. "What are you going to do about it?" Alec asked without looking away from Simon.

"What do you mean what am I going to do about it?" She narrowed her eyes to frown at her older brother.

Alec raised his gaze to meet hers. "I meant exactly what I said. Are you going to keep it? Give it up for adoption? Have an abortion?" When he mentioned the last option, I saw Isabelle's face grow taut.

"No."

"It wasn't a yes or no question, Izzy." He pointed out.

"Well, the answer is still no," she told him. We all refrained from pointing out her loss of logic. This was Isabelle. She always had a way of making people listen and agree, even if what she said didn't actually make any sense. "I'm not going to kill my baby."

This statement was greeted with silence. "So you're keeping it?" I ventured to ask.

"I haven't really gotten that far," She admitted.

When she had turned her attention to me, Alec had gone back to glaring at Simon. I was surprised to see Simon staring steadily back at him. Isabelle wasn't the only one acting hormonal recently. Her boyfriend had been acting just as strange.

"So, I'm going to venture a guess that Simon's going to be a daddy." I said. Simon bristled at the comment. He looked away from Alec and met my eyes. Whereas, in Alec's eyes he had seen a challenge, in mine I could tell he saw only compassion. His tense expression relaxed slightly.

Instead of confirming it, Isabelle burst out, "Why does everyone assume it's him?"

Simon rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, Clary. I'm going to be a dad." Looking into his eyes, I didn't see my best friend. Instead I saw the Simon who had scared me last night. He was taking this way too calmly, and he seemed to feel no sympathy for his pregnant girlfriend.

"Of course he's the father." Isabelle continued, the glazed look returning to her eyes. "Because heaven knows I haven't been with anyone else in months." I felt my face flush upon hearing this piece of personal knowledge, but Isabelle didn't even seem to realize what she was saying. She was lost in her own world.

She continued unseeingly. "The worst part isn't even that I'm going to be ugly and fat for months." For Isabelle, being ugly and fat were horrible crimes. "The worst part is that I'm going to have to tell my parents!"

It was this comment that finally spurred Alec to get over his shock enough to say, "It's going to be okay, Sabella." In his desire to comfort her, he had referred to an old nickname. "We're all on your side." He got up to wrap his arms around her.

She came back to reality and smiled up at her brother. "You of all people would understand me, wouldn't you?" I could only assume she meant that Alec knew what it felt like to have a huge secret that caused him to feel as if he didn't belong, but he did look as if he felt for her.

"How are we going tell your parents?" Simon spoke up.

Isabelle turned her dark gaze on him. "So now it's we, is it?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" He demanded, his anger making his fangs grow sharper. Alec took a step away from his sister. Both he and I could tell that she was about to go off on her vampire boyfriend.

She glared at him. "You know exactly what it's supposed to mean! Where were you when I needed you? At that stupid bar with that stupid werewolf, most likely. Don't bother to deny it Simon, because you sure weren't saying 'we' then!" The last of her words came out as a shout.

I watched the fire and anger in Simon's eyes grow until I was sure he was going to hit her. He had never hit a girl in his life, and now seemed like a bad time to start. But just as suddenly as his temper had been sparked, it was gone. He sat there, staring into Isabelle's eyes, breathing heavily.

"It's just so hard, Izzy."

Watching the two of them look at each other, I felt as if I were intruding on a private moment that I wasn't supposed to see. I had expected her to snap back, but instead Isabelle just looked at him with an intense expression on her face. It was an expression I had seen on Jace's face when he looked at me, on Magnus's face when he looked at Alec, and on Luke's when he looked at my mom.

The moment seemed to last hours. Everyone was waiting for someone else to move. The silence was broken by the slamming of a door. We all looked around for the noise before realizing that it came from down the hall. The sound was repeated as the library door flew open. "Hey!" called a cheerful Jace as he sauntered through the door.

He seemed to totally miss the tension of room as he sat down in the chair that Alec had vacated to go to his sister. As the mother and father to-be continued to stare at each other, Alec took a seat beside him.

Jace's cheerful smile faltered a bit when he saw me. That was when I knew this was the real Jace and not the demon-possessed one. He swallowed visibly. "Clary, I, uh…"

I tried to feign a look of polite disinterest in what he had to say, but I couldn't make myself believe it. Even knowing what I did about him didn't take the pain of the betrayal away. In my mind's eye, I could again see the cold look on his face as his gaze passed over me this morning. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to forget. Jace continued to look at me, his expression conveying all the regret he felt. He knew me well enough to know how bad he had hurt me. It was obvious that he didn't know where to start. He didn't know what to say to me. I didn't even know if he knew what was wrong with him.

"Jace," Alec interrupted my thoughts. "Why are you here?"

Jace shook his head as if clearing his thoughts and turned to face his adopted brother. "I came to tell you guys something." His tone changed as he added, "But I didn't know you were having discussions without me now."

"I don't think you'll like this discussion," Isabelle told him.

"Why not?" Jace demanded, his angular chin turning up in defiance.

Simon let out a laugh and shared a glance with Isabelle. They seemed to be discussing something through their expressions. Isabelle nodded at Simon and he said. "You won't like it because the discussion was about your sister here." Jace glanced involuntarily at me.

Even though we both knew we weren't related, anytime anyone mentioned it, we both flinched. "You're adopted sister," Simon clarified.

Jace studied Isabelle for a moment before saying, "What about her?"

"She's pregnant."

Jace spluttered disbelievingly. "Isabelle?" he asked, obviously trying not to laugh. "You expect me to believe that Isabelle Lightwood, _our_ Isabelle," He made a hand gesture in her direction. "_That _Isabelle is… is _pregnant_? You must be out of your mind, bloodsucker."

"It's not funny, Jace." Isabelle said.

His golden eyes widened and an alarmed expression covered his gorgeous face. "You mean it's true?"

"I'm afraid so."

Jace, like Alec, turned to glare at Simon. "Then what's that _thing_ still doing alive?" He demanded, jumping out of his chair.

"Simon is not a _thing_!" Isabelle said loudly. "He is the father of my child and-"

"And that's exactly why he needs to die!" Jace replied just as loudly. "He knocked up my sister! Do you just expect me to stand here and take it?"

"Jace," I cut in softly. I didn't think he would hear me, but he stopped talking as soon as he heard my voice. He didn't turn around but continued to face Simon. "Calm down. We all know you don't like Simon, but you're over-reacting. Alec wants to protect Izzy just as much as you do Jace, but you don't see him trying to murder people. I know you Jace. You couldn't kill Simon; you don't want him to die."

Jace didn't move a muscle. If it wasn't for the change in his breathing, I wouldn't think he had heard me. "What did you come to say, Jace?" I asked, breaking through the dead silence of the room.

Jace turned to face me, and I let out the breath that I hadn't known I was holding. Beside me, I felt Isabelle relax slightly too. I was surprised she hadn't had a melt down when Jace acted as if Simon getting her pregnant was an affront to his person. That was male chauvinism at its best. Then again, Jace was often chauvinistic.

"I came here to help."

"Yeah, because you've done so much of that this week," Simon said sarcastically.

"Simon." Isabelle said warningly. "Don't be antagonistic."

Jace flashed a half-smile at Isabelle. "I know where Jay Rivera is," he told us.

"Who the heck is that?" Simon asked. So much for no antagonism. I drew a blank; I didn't recognize the name either.

"You don't remember, parasite?" Jace asked with a smirk. That must be Jace's new form of the insult 'bloodsucker'. More antagonism

"Boys, boys." I said sweetly. "If you don't stop acting like seven year-olds, I am going to have to make you. And Jace, I don't think anyone remembers who that is."

"Well, _I _do." He said with his usual self-confidence.

"Would you care to enlighten us?"

"If you insist," He said cockily. "Jay Rivera happens to be the current owner of the Book of Shadows. He's the shadow world mob boss Dunstan mentioned."

"Oh."

"Oh is right," he smirked. "And _I_ know where he is."

_**Everyone who guessed about Izzy guessed correctly …but I kind of made it obvious, didn't I? I felt that the last few chapters were missing Jace, so I decided to give him a part here. I kind of want to make him magically better, just 'cause I like him so much. Too bad, he's going to have to be saved the hard way. :( Anyway, tell me what you think about it. **_


	14. Chapter 14

_**Hello again, people. It's good to know everyone reads the author's notes. When I said Jace was going to have to be saved the hard way, I meant I couldn't poof him back to normal the way I would like to.**__** This one took me a while to write because it was hard for me to get Rivera and his headquarters right.**__** Oh and sorry it took me a week to update, but for the next month I think my updates might be sporadic at best. On the up side, this is the longest chapter so far.  
**_

"How did you get this information again?" Alec asked his closest friend warily. Jace met his eyes.

"I don't know," he told us. "I just felt this urge to look the guy up, and the page came right up on the computer. I didn't even have to do a lot of searching."

We all sat there processing the fact that the man who had the book we were after was just a subway ride away. When no one responded to his statement, Jace continued. "I think we should go after him today." With that remark, he got up and left the room.

"Something's wrong with him." Alec said as soon as Jace was out of earshot.

"Really, Sherlock?" Isabelle snapped. "Whatever would give you that idea?"

"I'm not kidding Isabelle. I believe you about the possession now." He met my eyes with an apologetic look. "He's my Parabatai. I know something is wrong with him." He looked thoughtful for a minute before he said, "Now that I think about it, it does make sense. Jace was out cold. Then, all of the sudden he magically wakes up. Why else would the demon let him live unless to use him?"

In the events of the past few days, I had all but forgotten Jace's fainting episode. What Alec said made sense. We all knew something was wrong with Jace. I, for one, had a feeling that the urge to look up Rivera was planted by a certain snake-like demon. "This could be a trap," I said aloud.

"It could." Alec agreed.

Yet thirty minutes later, here we were. Dressed in Shadowhunter black from head to foot and covered in fresh marks, we stood in front of a brownstone that Jace claimed was Rivera's head of operations. It was a nondescript place that looked much like the surrounding area.

"Do we just knock?" Isabelle asked Jace. He was standing off to the side by himself. When she spoke, he nodded.

"I don't think this is such a good idea," I said. I had a feeling that dealing with Rivera wasn't going to be as easy as intimidating Dunstan had been. "We should think this through and come up with something better than just knocking."

"Don't be such a baby, Clary." Isabelle told me with a grin.

"What are you, seven?" I retorted.

"Girls, Girls," Jace said, smiling like everything was normal. "There's no need to fight over me."

I cocked an eyebrow at him. "We weren't even talking about you," I informed him haughtily.

"First of all, you didn't do the eyebrow thing right." He told me matter-of-factly, a strand of his blonde hair falling across his forehead. "And second of all, it's always about me."

I rolled my eyes, ignoring the twinge of hurt I felt every time he looked at me. I didn't see how he could look at me as if nothing was wrong when my heart was broken. This wasn't the demon-Jace that kissed Aline, but it wasn't _my _Jace either. And my only wish right now was that my Jace would return soon. He was the only one who could make me feel as if this whole mess would just blow over.

"Clary!" I looked up to meet Isabelle's concerned eyes. Judging from her expression, this wasn't the first time she had called my name. Looking around, I realized everyone else was halfway up the stairs to the door.

When we were all crowded onto the porch, Alec knocked on the door. No one answered. We waited a few minutes, but still no one came. Isabelle pushed past Alec and knocked again, much louder this time. No one opened the door, but this time there was a rustling sound inside of the building as if someone was hurriedly moving around. We could hear the faint sound of music coming from inside.

"Hellooo!" Isabelle called.

Simon touched her shoulder gently and pulled her back from the door. The two of them made a strange picture, but surprisingly they fit together. If I was going to draw the two of them together, Isabelle would be front and center just a little bit blurry. Simon would be slightly behind her reaching towards her like that.

"What do you want?" a voice called loudly. I spun around, looking for the owner of the voice. A short, squat woman was standing at the foot of the stairs, having just come out of a basement doorway that I hadn't noticed before.

Alec and I exchanged glances, each wondering if the other would speak up. Finally, it was Jace who addressed the woman. "Hello," he said beguilingly. It was as if there was a switch he could flip and all of the sudden, he became the charming golden boy he looked to be.

The woman eyed him suspiciously. "What do you want?" she repeated. She was plain and dowdy and had an unpleasant look on her face.

"We have an appointment with Mr. Rivera." Jace said. The woman frowned dubiously at him, and studied our group for a moment. Whatever she saw must have convinced her Jace was telling the truth because she motioned for us to follow her into the basement of the brownstone.

She led us into a low-ceilinged room and pointed us up a set of steps. The steps led to a foyer-type area that looked as if it was being used as a waiting room. One wall was covered with newspaper clippings and the room had no seats, but people were standing around waiting. Mostly, they were just talking. It seemed as if some of them knew each other. For the most part, the people in the room looked poor and scruffy. Some of them looked like druggies.

"Wait here." The woman motioned us to stop and went up another set of stairs where I assumed Jay Rivera's office was located. Less than a minute later, she came down and conducted a few people up the stairs. This building was in an older part of Manhattan, but luckily it was new enough to have proper air-conditioning.

Through a doorway beside the stairs, I could see into another room filled with couches and what looked like a bar. I realized that this must be where Rivera's cronies met once they were done with their jobs, like extortion and who knows what other illegal crap. Rivera's workers seemed to age from teenagers like us to older men. All of the girls I saw (except the receptionist-type lady) were young and pretty. Obviously, they were the distractions for the schemes of Rivera's organization. But for a Mafia-like organization, they had really bad security. We could have posed as recruits and gotten in here easily.

Seeing these humans waiting around made me abruptly realize something. "Wait, there's one thing I don't get." I told Alec. "Rivera is a mundane, right?" Alec nodded his affirmation. "Then how does he know about the Book of Shadows?"

Alec frowned thoughtfully. "That is a very good question, Clary." He said after a minute. "One I intend to find the answer to." He looked around for the rest of our group. Simon and Isabelle, standing in a corner whispering to each other, were easy to spot. Jace, however, seemed to have disappeared. "Jace," Alec called, spotting him across the room. Jace had wandered off and was exploring the newspaper clippings taped to the far wall, but he came back upon hearing Alec's voice.

"What is it?" He asked curiously when he saw our faces.

"Rivera's human, right?" Alec asked, even though he had just told me that. Jace confirmed it with a slight nod. "What did you find about him when you looked him up? Like, how did he get mixed up with Downworlders and demons? He's not acting like the typical mundane."

"That's because he's not the typical mundane," Jace said. The superior lilt in his voice made me want to smack him.

"You know withholding information is crime," I told him.

"Only if I'm withholding it from the Clave." Jace retorted easily. He would know too, seeing as how he had lied to an official Inquisitor before. "Rivera was raised by his mom and his stepfather." Jace let that sink in.

I pondered the significance of this information but came up with nothing. What did the man's parents have to do with anything? Alec also looked confused. Finally, Jace took pity on us and said, "His stepfather was a Downworlder."

I frowned. "But Downworlders don't..." I let the sentence trail off.

"Don't what? Mate with humans? Marry them?" Jace asked teasingly. He still had that annoying superior grin on his face. "Apparently some do, and I don't think daddy dearest kept his family in the dark about his heritage."

"So do they know?" I motioned to the people in the room across the hall.

"You have Shadowhunter blood, Clary." Jace told me, suddenly sounding exasperated. "You should use it sometimes. Alec over here could tell you that most of the people in this place are part Downworlders. For instance, right now I see a Nixie, two Ifrits, and a quite a few other creatures. Heck, even that old woman by the door looks to be part Fey."

"Mr. Rivera will see you now." The old woman in question interrupted out conversation. I hoped she hadn't heard Jace's comment. We had been waiting for at least thirty minutes, and the waiting room had cleared out. Seeing that we were going, Simon and Isabelle came over to us. When we all moved to go up the stairs, the lady said abruptly, "I'm sorry, but three at a time is the limit."

It took me a second to figure out that she meant three people. "Rude, much?" Isabelle snapped. "She could have told us that when we first walked in, like, thirty minutes ago."

"Isabelle, keep your voice down," I told her. "If we want to see Rivera at all, it's probably best not to make her mad."

After a quick discussion, it was decided that Jace (of course), Isabelle, and I would meet the elusive Jay Rivera. The stairs were steep and we went up two flights before we were pointed down a long hallway. We were escorted into an office at the end of the hall. "Knock on the door," was the last thing the woman said before she was gone.

So we knocked.

"Come in!" a voice called. The room on the other side of the door was nothing like I had imagined. The first thing I noticed was that one wall was painted a bright Cerise purple. It was a color very close to the purple of the dress Isabelle had given me a few days ago. Besides the purple wall, the rest of the room was just as strange. It was set up in what seemed to be a fung-shui style. The only thing that looked remotely businesslike was the desk in the center of the room and the man sitting behind it. He had dark brown hair and severe, dark features.

He looked up from a stack of papers to glance at us. "I'm not giving you any more drugs to sell," he said, straightening his suit before going back to what he had been doing. "Go back to whatever gutter you crawled out of."

"Excuse me." Isabelle said warningly. I prayed that the man wouldn't set her off. Otherwise, he'd learn the hard way that it was not smart to offend pregnant women who knew their way around a whip. "I don't do drugs. Or sell them. And listening to what we have to say would probably be in your best interest."

Rivera did a double take, as if wondering how this teenage girl had the nerve to talk to him like that. "Do you know who I am, little girl?" He demanded.

"Do you know who _I _am, old man?" She demanded right back. "_Sed lex dura lex_. I'm not afraid to send your fat behind to prison." His behind didn't look fat from where I was standing, but he didn't look all that attractive either.

"_Sed lex dura lex_?" Rivera repeated, his face going slightly pale as he quoted the motto of the Covenant. The words meant 'The Law is Hard, but it is the Law' a motto all Shadowhunters had to live by. "You're Shadowhunters?"

"Actually, we're Martians." Jace said randomly, sounding a little too much like his old self. "From the planet Mars. We came here to tell you that we come in peace. Oh, and we think your room looks dumb."

I tried to hide my grin as Isabelle gave him a withering glare. "Now is not the time for sarcasm, Jace."

"I wasn't being sarcastic," Jace replied. "I mean, look at that." He gestured to the purple wall. "What guy in his right mind paints his office pink? Did you, like, lose your balls or something? And who hangs wind chimes from their windows?"

"It's purple." Rivera said defensively. "And my daughter decorated it." For such a businesslike man, he must either love his daughter or fear her to be able to put up with this room.

"Now that we've wasted valuable time," Isabelle talked over him. "Let's get down to business." She turned her attention to Rivera. "What do you know about the Book of Shadows?"

"Nothing," he said too quickly.

"Really?" Jace said slowly. He strolled across the room to where he was right in front of Rivera. "And you expect us to believe that?"

"Yes, of course," the man gulped. He stood to keep Jace from getting any closer. "Why would I lie?"

"We have reason to believe that you not only know about the item in question, but that you also _own_ said item." Jace sounded bored. He looked it, too. Instead of watching Rivera, he was inspecting his nails as if making sure they were clean. "We're here to confiscate it."

"I already told you I don't know what this Book of Shadows is! And I definitely don't know anything about dark magic or demons!" Rivera said as he glared at Jace.

"Who said anything about dark magic?" Jace's tone was as calm as if they were discussing the weather. "Or demons for that matter?"

"N- no one." Rivera frowned. Isabelle and I shared a grin. We were content to let Jace handle investigations. He always enjoyed verbal sparring ...and bugging people.

"You know what the Clave does to people who withhold information?" Jace asked, still not looking at Rivera. He pulled a small knife from his pocket and began to clean his nails with it. "First, they ask you nicely. If you don't tell them then, they hold you in one of their cells. I can tell you from personal experience that's not fun. And it's only the beginning. Torture might be next, or other things along those lines." He looked up coldly to meet the man's eyes.

Rivera was sweating now. He tugged at his collar and said, "What if I did have it? What then?"

"Then we would need to confiscate it. If you're lucky, we might even give it back." The grin on Jace's face said that this was unlikely. "If not... Well, let's not go there."

Jay Rivera seemed like the sort of man who like to be in charge. It was clear that he hated being told what to do. In the crime business, he was probably used to threatening people. He was definitely unused to being threatened or he wouldn't have looked so thrown. His jaw tightened and he glared at Jace. "Fine." He dug through his desk and pulled out a small leather bound book. "You can have it."

"That was a lot easier than I thought," I said as we got on the subway to go back to the Institute. Jace had used his stele to make sure the book was authentic and we had high-tailed it out of there. I had a feeling that Rivera might send a henchman after us any minute, and it looked like wasn't the only one.

"Let's go to Pandemonium." Isabelle suggested, taking a seat next to me.

"Because that went _so_ well last time," Simon muttered under his breath just loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Seriously, guys." Isabelle made a puppy dog face that guaranteed she would get what she wanted. Whether it was her brothers or her boyfriend, one of the guys always caved when she made the face. "It'll get out minds off of everything that's been going on lately."

And that was how we ended up back at Pandemonium for the second time in three days.

_**So, there you go. Another installment of Begging for Mercy from none other than moi.**__** For the past three chapters, I've been listening to Boys Like Girls songs as I write. I've had a constant playlist of Up Against the Wall, Love Drunk, Heart Heart Heartbreak, Learning to Fall, etc stuck in my head. Today, I tried to get rid of it by listening to country and so far, it worked.  
**_

_**Also, I'm thinking of doing another fic about Isabelle's pregnancy after I finish this one, and I'm curious as to whether anyone would read it.**_


	15. Chapter 15

_**Random Fact: while I love writing stories like these, I don't actually want to be an author. I mean, yeah it'd be cool and whatnot to have books published, but I don't think I could actually ever finish a book. I have a friend who wants to be an author though. So far, she's the only person who knows that I write stories, but she doesn't like The Mortal Instruments (*gasp*) so she hasn't read my stuff. So, as ever, I rely on you guys to tell me what you think.**_

While Isabelle was busy with her makeup and wardrobe, I was left to my own devices. I had already finished my makeup and now I was looking for something to wear. This seemingly easy task was proving to be a problem. I flipped through Jace's collection of my clothes for the second time- he had brought them to me then left without a word- but the search was useless. I ended up with the same result. There was nothing here I wanted to wear, nothing that would help my purpose tonight.

I wanted something that would catch Jace's eye, something to tease him to pay him back for all the pain he'd caused me in the last few days. Maybe I could find a guy at Pandemonium to tease him with. Making Jace want me and making him jealous wouldn't go a long way, but together, they would definitely be a start. If only I could find something to wear.

As I looked a third time, my eyes fell on a purple dress, the purple dress that I had been wearing on one of the worst nights of my life. It was pretty and attractive, but I didn't think that I could bring myself to wear it again. Instead, I went to raid Isabelle's closet.

Her door was closed. Opening Isabelle's door unannounced was the same as sealing your death warrant, so I knocked. "Don't come in, I'm not ready!" she called through the door.

"It's just me, Isabelle." I informed her.

"Oh, sorry, I thought you might be Simon." She said. "You can come in."

As I came into the room, Isabelle didn't look up from her mirror where she was doing her makeup. She had on a halter top and a cute skirt that accentuated her long legs. She also wore her signature high heels. And by high heels, I mean _high _heels. In reference to shoes, her motto was "Nothing less than seven inches". I preferred heels I could actually walk in, and I was hoping she had a pair I could borrow.

"Hey, Izzy. Could you help me with something?"

"Depends," she responded, leaning closer to the mirror. I could see her face reflected in the mirror as she ran her mascara wand over her eyelashes twice before putting it up. "What do you need help with?"

"I want to make Jace jealous." I said bluntly.

Her eyes widened in the mirror and a smirk slid over her face. "Got a little revenge up your sleeve?" she asked shrewdly without turning around. Her eyes met mine in the mirror.

I nodded. "But I can't find anything to wear, and there's really no point otherwise."

"Well, let's see if we can fix that."

Because of our height differences, most of Isabelle's clothes were too big for me. The few things we found that fit totally clashed with my vibrant hair (a problem I run into often). "Here, try this," Isabelle handed me a cute shirt. I help up the adorable flowered Marc Jacobs tank top, but it was at least a size too big. I handed it back to her, and she surveyed the closet thoughtfully for a moment. Then, she gasped and promptly dropped the shirt she was holding on the floor.

"Don't move." Isabelle ordered me. "I'll be back in a minute." Then she rushed out the door and down the hall. She came back not a minute later with a bag in hand. "Okay, close your eyes," She commanded excitedly. I complied. I heard rustling noises and I could only assume she had found the outfit we were looking for. "Now open them!"

I opened my eyes to see a dress that rivaled dresses worn by models. It was short and black. Classy and simple. The length might bother me if not for the fact that I was going to look amazing in it. Sure enough, when I tried it on, it fit perfectly.

"I love silk-tiered dresses." Isabelle told me. As an afterthought she added, "And the bow is tres mignonne."

"Translation please, Isabelle." I knew only enough French to recognize that she was speaking it. "Not all of us had French tutors growing up."

"The bow is very cute." She clarified. "And you, my friend, are gorgeous." I looked into the mirror again. Wearing this dress that emphasized the good parts and fixed the bad, I actually felt gorgeous. The dress had thin spaghetti straps and a decorative bow on the chest. The tiers on the body of the dress emphasized its shortness, making my legs look much longer.

To go with the dress, Isabelle pulled out a pair of wedge-heels that tied around the ankle. "You look amazing." Isabelle assured me when I was fully dressed. I left my hair down to flow wildly down my back that way I knew Jace liked it best. "Jace is going to be too busy drooling over you to look at another girl. Even Aline."

"Aline?" I asked, alarmed at the thought of seeing her with Jace. "She's going?"

"Sorry," Isabelle apologized. "You know I never would have invited her, but she kind of overheard us talking about it and invited herself." When I didn't answer, she added, "Are you okay with that? Because we don't have to go."

"I'm fine." I said in what was hopefully a convincing tone. "And you look great too by the way. But then, you always do. I swear, Izzy. You could make a paper bag look good." I said it mostly to change the subject, but there was no denying the truth in the statement.

Isabelle twirled around in front of the mirror preening. "I know. Now you go get the boys while I put on the finishing touches."

I walked down the hall searching for 'the boys' as Isabelle called them. Alec, the oldest, was almost twenty. Simon and Jace weren't that far behind. They were more men than boys. I planned to go find Simon first, figuring he would be in the library or the kitchen. But my feet betrayed me and I found myself standing in front of Jace's door. I help up my hand to knock but couldn't bring myself to do it. I was just about to leave when the door swung open.

"Clary?" Jace seemed surprised to find me here. He leaned against the doorway only inches away from me.

"Um, hi." I said nervously, ignoring the fluttery feeling in my stomach. Slightly thrown off by his proximity, I took a step away from the door.

"Is it time to…" He trailed off, his eyes running slowly up and down my body in a way that made my face heat up. The warmth spread throughout my body as his gaze took in the dress, my legs, and the heels that accentuated them. A lazy grin spread over his face.

This was the first time we had been alone together since our breakup. My heart beat faster and my pulse raced as he lifted his eyes to my face. He looked frustratingly impassive. "You look gorgeous, Clary." If it weren't for the small hitch in his voice and the slightly covetous way he looked at me, I would think he was unaffected. But I knew him better. My plan was working.

"It's time to leave." I announced to break the silence. Luckily, my voice betrayed none of the emotions I was feeling.

Jace didn't move. He just looked at me and looked and looked. I figured that said something about my appearance in and of itself. I bit my lip, drawing his attention to my mouth. His eyes settled there for a minute before continuing their roaming. Jace had a way of gazing at me that seemed as physical as if he were touching me. "Jace?" I waved my hand in front of his face. "My face is up here."

"I know where your face is, Fray." He met my eyes with a cat-like grin. "After all, those talented lips of yours just happen to be on it."

"Well, you seem to have forgotten that it's impolite to stare." I snapped. I had to seem as unaffected as he pretended to be. "Are you ready to leave or not?"

His grin grew wider. "Give me one second." He disappeared into the room, leaving the door open just a crack. "And I'm back." He said as he reappeared holding something behind his back. "Did you miss me?"

"Terribly." I retorted sarcastically. It wasn't until the word came out that I realized how true it was. Every second without him was torture. I wanted to grab that lithe, beautiful body of his and crush it against mine, but I managed to resist by sheer will power.

"I have a present for you," he pulled the thing he was hiding out from behind his back and placed it in my hands.

"A knife?" The knife was beautiful; there were Shadowhunting runes on the sheath for protection and speed. I pulled out the blade to study it.

He nodded. Looking into his eyes, I could see sincerity there. "It's a Seraph blade."

"I know it's a Seraph blade, Jace. I have used one before you know." I just didn't get why he was giving me one now.

"I know." He said. His tone was completely serious. "I'm sorry, Clary. I'm sorry for disappointing you. I'm sorry for acting this way. I don't even know what came over me." His eyes were pleading. I knew Jace well enough to know that apologies didn't come easy to him. Judging by the sad gleam in his eye, I knew he was thinking about the lesson Valentine had taught him from an early age. "To love is to destroy," Jace said, confirming my suspicions. "I just hope I haven't hurt you beyond repair, Clary."

I felt my eyes fill up with unshed tears. He was being so sweet. It hurt me to say what I did next. "It's time to leave." I repeated. I tried to hand him back the knife.

His face filled with hurt, but he tried to pretend that he didn't care. "Take the knife, Clary." His chin tilted stubbornly.

"I don't have anywhere to put it." I protested.

He eyed my chest. "Use your creativity. I'm sure you'll find somewhere to put it."

The handle on the knife was short and the blade sturdy but small. The knife could definitely fit where he was suggesting I put it, but I didn't know if I could draw it from there. Instead, I pushed the knife into the lacing of my right shoe. "Let's go." I said. And with that we were off.

From down the hall, we could hear Isabelle, Simon, and Alec talking as they waited for us. I assumed Aline was with them, too. I was so focused on my proximity to Jace that I didn't see the person in front of me until I crashed into her.

"Hello, Jace. Hello, Mary." She said absently after righting herself.

"Hello, Mrs. Penhallow." We said in unison. She never did manage to get my name right. She was wearing a simple blue taffeta dress that was too fancy for a night at the Institute. "What are you all dressed up for, Mrs. Penhallow?" Jace asked politely. He turned on the charm, earning a smile from her.

"Oh, I've got a date tonight." She said, practically blushing. She had been married for at least twenty years, but she thought nothing of publicly announcing that she was cheating on her husband. Everyone who knew the couple knew that both of them were unfaithful and the only reason they stayed together was their work for the Clave. It was almost enough to make me feel sorry for Aline. Almost.

"Who's the lucky man?" Jace asked. I thought he was laying it on a bit thick, but Mrs. Penhallow looked thrilled that he cared.

"Oh, I doubt you know him." She said. "His name is Jay. Jay Rivera. And he is absolutely dashing."

"Oh, we know him alright." Jace muttered under his breath.

"What was that?" Mrs. Penhallow asked.

"Nothing." Jace smiled charmingly and we said our goodbyes. But when she was almost out of earshot, he called, "Rivera's office is pink!"

"Now, Jace." I said mock-reprovingly. "I believe the room is purple." And we laughed together for the first time in what seemed like ages.

By the time we finally got to Pandemonium, I was ready to do some damage. We didn't find any demons right off, so I took this time to begin my plan. Simon, standing beside me, saw the devious grin on my face. "Oh, no." He said. "Please tell me that expression's not for me." He knew from experience that I was planning something.

I didn't answer. I also pretended not to see as he spiked his drink with blood the way he always did. I really didn't see how Isabelle could stomach kissing him when his breath smelled like blood. I turned my attention back to Jace. And caught him staring again. I winked at him before turning to strut away.

I made it all the way to the bar, knowing he was following me before I let myself turn around. "Jace," I greeted him coolly.

"Clary." He seemed as if he wanted to say more but wouldn't let himself. I turned to the bar tender and ordered the first drink I saw on the list, ignoring Jace's attempts to figure out what he wanted to say.

"Hey, Jacey." Aline called. She stood pressed against him. I eyed her distastefully and pretended not to care. "Don't you want to dance with me?"

"Don't call me that." He snapped as he turned back to me.

"But…" She pouted and flipped her dark hair over her shoulder in a way she must have thought was attractive.

"Can't you see I'm trying to talk to Clary?" He demanded and she marched off offended.

"What if I don't want to talk to you?" I asked snarkily.

"I think you do," his chin was set in that stubborn way that made me want to grab him, haul him off his feet, and kiss him as long as I possibly could.

"Well, I think I don't." I retorted.

"Clary…" He tried again.

I had to make him shut up. There was only one way to do that that I was positive would work. I weighed the advantages and disadvantages in my mind. Advantages: 1) I would finally get to kiss him. 2) He would shut up. Disadvantages: Who cared? I really _really_ wanted to kiss him.

I grabbed the collar of his black t-shirt and pulled him to me. I didn't have time to fully appreciate the shocked look on his face before my mouth connected with his. I pressed closer to him, moving my hands to cup his face and keep him from pulling back. Not that he showed any signs of withdrawal. Instead, he let his lips part in shock as I kissed him fiercely. When I finally pulled away for air, his lips were still parted in shock. His eyes were wild and I pretended not to see the raw desire in them. I patted him twice on the cheek before turning to walk away.

_**Another very long chapter. Hopefully the length of the past two chapters will make up for the fact that I won't be updating for a few days. I'm going to the beach Tuesday-Friday and I won't have access to a computer. **_


	16. Chapter 16

_**It seems like every time I try to plan this story out, I'll have a new idea or some chapter will turn out longer than I meant it to be. For example, I meant for this chapter and the last chapter to be one, but people and ideas keep popping up where they're not supposed to be. **_

I left Jace standing frozen behind me. I walked straight onto the dance floor where it seemed the party was already in full swing. A guy immediately sauntered up to me and tried to wrap his arms around me. He was clearly drunk and out of it. I separated myself from him easily and moved on. I may be looking for a guy just to use him, but I still had standards. One of which was that he had to be hot. How else was Jace going to feel threatened? Oh and the guy not being completely drunk might also be a plus.

It took me a few minutes to find the right candidate. He was tall and dark and… decidedly not blonde or tawny-eyed. I danced with him, wishing it was Jace I was touching. I mentally shook my head to clear these thoughts. That was the whole goal tonight. Look hot. Tease Jace. Make him jealous. It was a simple plan really.

I pulled the guy closer to me, close enough that I could speak in his ear over the music. "What's your name?" I asked loudly.

"Ethan." He called over the noise. Kelly Clarkson's voice was blaring through the speakers and all around us people were dancing.

"You have a last name?" I asked as I smiled seductively and swung my hips to the beat.

"You have a first name?" He retorted. He returned the smile and moved even closer. He was close enough that every time I moved, I brushed against him.

"Touche."I replied and left it at that. He didn't need to know my name. He wasn't ever going to see me again.

The black dress chosen to drive Jace wild was obviously doing its job just as well on other guys, if I was judging by the number of them that seemed to be checking me out. I pretended not to see them as I danced with Ethan. His dark hair was long enough to cover his forehead and it got in his eyes as he bent closer to me. Over his shoulder, I could see Jace staring at me from the bar. His stance hadn't changed since I had left him. The look on his face, however, had. He was looking at Ethan murderously. The rage in his eyes was clearly visible, even from this far away.

I worried for a minute that he might do physical damage to Ethan. I wanted to make him jealous, not send him into a jealous rage. I was counting on the fact that we were in public, surrounded by "mundanes" as the Shadowhunters called them. Jace wouldn't risk alerting the humans to the fact that he was a supernatural being. And he was definitely supernatural. He was faster, stronger, more handsome than any other guy I had ever met.

I pretended not to see Jace staring as I danced away from Ethan. I allowed Ethan to follow me, turning a little so Jace could have a better view. I was sweating from dancing in the crowded room, but I just pushed my hair out of my eyes and let Ethan bury his face in my neck. I sent another glance toward the bar. Jace was still watching.

Perfect. Now for the finishing touch. I kissed the side of Ethan's neck and he lifted his head so our eyes met. He was sweaty and tasted gross, but I forced myself to continue. I wrapped my arms around his neck and pulled his face down to mine.

He might be handsome and a good dancer, but Ethan was definitely not a good kisser. I tried not to gag as I kissed him, knowing that if Isabelle saw, she would never let me forget it. After a thorough kiss, during which he thoroughly disgusted me, I pulled away from him a backed away into the crowd.

"Hey! Come back!" He called after me.

I didn't answer; I was finished with him. He could go find some other girl to kiss easily. I disappeared into the throng of sweaty bodies, making sure I was hidden from his sight. I looked to the bar where Jace had been standing, but he was no longer there.

I spotted Isabelle nearby. She was pulling Alec onto the dance floor and trying to convince him to dance. I noticed she herself was dancing nowhere near as vigorously as usual. Her protective instincts for her baby must have kicked in. I made my way to where they were standing. When she saw me, Isabelle immediately let go of her brother, causing him to topple over.

"Isabelle! What was that for?" He complained indignantly. He picked himself up of the floor, trying to salvage his wounded dignity.

"Oh, sorry." Isabelle waved a hand at him dismissively. "So? " She turned to me. "How did it go?

"Good so far." If only I knew where Jace was.

"I saw you kiss that mundie." She grinned and continued conspiratorially. "Good choice, by the way. He was cute."

"Do you know where Jace went?" I asked.

Her grin got wider. "Over there." She motioned to an alcove near the corner of the room. From what I could see, Jace was venting his anger on the wall. He slammed his fist into it repeatedly. "I kind of feel sorry for him, but us girls have to stick together."

"Why don't any of the mundanes look alarmed?" I asked her.

She looked at me curiously. "Clary, I seriously think you might need a few more lessons. He's using glamour."

I looked down at my feet. "Yeah," I said absently, not meeting her eyes. Even when Jace was that upset, he was lucid enough to remember his glamour. He was obviously in pain. I wanted to run to him and comfort him. I wanted to play nurse and take care of him. I wanted…

Drink in hand, Simon came over to see what was wrong. "Wait, what's going on?" He asked.

Alec had also spotted Jace punching the wall. "What's wrong with him? It's not that demon thing again, is it?" He looked worried for his closest friend.

"No," Isabelle assured him. "He's upset because Clary got him all hot and bothered and then went and made out with another guy."

Alec frowned at me. "What?" I asked defensively.

Simon shook his head. "Girls." He muttered. This earned and indignant look from Isabelle. "You're so freaking complicated."

"Excuse me!" Isabelle interrupted.

"Can we leave now?" Alec inquired of no one in particular.

"We've been here for like fifteen minutes. I'm going to…" Isabelle stopped talking and stared into the crowd. We all followed her gaze, but at first I saw nothing. I forced my Shadowhunter instincts to kick in and I saw it. There was a demon not ten feet away.

Like the girl-demon the other day, this one was too human-looking to think of as an it. The glamour he was wearing portrayed him as an average-height male with bright canary yellow hair. "Clary, he's all yours." Isabelle told me.

"What is it?" asked Simon who couldn't see though the glamour.

We both ignored Simon. "But, I've never…" Isabelle gave me a stern look. Excuses were useless. There was no way we were going to let Isabelle risk her baby, so I was the only one left for the job.

"Unless you'd like us to send Alec here to flirt with him." Isabelle joked. Alec shot her a glare. "Hey, it's not my fault you're inept when it comes to flirting, big bro."

"Fine, I'll do it." I stalked off in the direction of the yellow-haired demon.

"Be careful, Clary!" Simon called after me. I danced close to the demon, scoping out the enemy. It was always better to know what you were up against.

I looked away for less than a second, but when I looked back, he was gone. I saw numerous other boys checking me out, but not the one I was after. "Allow me to rescue you from a crowd of admirers," a low, deep voice whispered in my ear.

I whipped around to see the yellow-haired demon leering at me. "Didn't you mom tell you never to talk to strangers?" I made sure my voice was flirty.

"I don't think I have to worry about a pretty little thing like you," he mused, eying me up and down.

"Maybe." The way he looked at me like a piece of meat disgusted me, but I proceeded to eye him up and down the same way. "Maybe not."

"We'll just have to see, won't we?" He took hold of my hand and led me off of the dance floor into one of the alcoves on the side of the big room not far from where I had seen Jace.

I knew Isabelle and Simon well enough to know that as soon as I had gone off with the demon, they had gone to find Jace to send him and Alec after me. I could only hope they got here soon enough. I let myself be led through a door hidden in the alcove. The door had a sign on it that said No Admittance. Behind it was a storage room, a lot like the one I had first met Izzy, Alec, and Jace in.

The demon pushed me against the wall and began to whisper in my ear. I let him talk, making sure he didn't see as I lifted my foot so I could reach the Seraph blade laced into my shoe. I had cast a glamour with my stele to hide the knife, but I didn't want the demon to see it before I was ready for him to.

"I love your kind," the demon was whispering. "You're all so eager to please. So delicate, soft …breakable."

"That's what you think." I said managing to grasp the knife. I whispered its name under my breath and held it against his neck hard enough for him to feel the pressure.

The yellow-haired demon only laughed. "Oh, so you're one of those." He hissed. "You Shadowhunters never learn." He let go of his glamour and met my eyes. His pupils had turned into black slits like cat's eyes the way Magnus's did. "Unluckily for you, I'm in the mood to play."

He reached to hit me, but I had been around Jace long enough to tell when a blow was coming. I blocked it with one arm and hit him in the chest with the other. He lurched backwards but caught himself before he fell. I advanced on him, seizing the upper hand. I had the knife at the ready and was about to kill the demon when the door behind me burst open.

I flinched and the demon took advantage of my momentary distraction to draw a knife of its own. We were locked together, neither of us willing to look away. "Clary!" A voice from behind me called. I felt some of the tension leave my body. I would recognize Jace's worried voice anywhere. I comforted me to know that he was here, though he should have known better than to distract me. With a loud cry, the black-eyed demon lunged at me and landed on top of me. We fell together and rolled on the ground, my knife flying from my hand as he landed on me. The demon drew his knife back to kill me.

He was as surprised as I to find him thrown off of me. I sat up as quickly as possible to see a triumphant Jace sitting atop the demon. Alec crouched beside him with his own Seraph blade held to the demon's throat.

"Are there any more of you here?" Jace questioned the yellow-haired demon. Jace's hair hung around his face like a lion's mane momentarily distracting me from the interrogation. It was also then that I noticed his bloody knuckles. He seemed completely oblivious to them as he held the demon down.

"Why should I tell you?" The demon asked. "You're going to kill me either way."

"That's a fair point." Jace admitted. "But I could make your death a lot more painful if you don't cooperate."

The demon sent him a look of utter hatred. "I'll only come back."

When demons died, they went to their home dimensions, but somehow, most of them did manage to come back. There were thousands of other dimensions that demons lived in, and we didn't know their numbers. If they ever managed to work together, they could be a deadly force.

"Go ahead and kill him, Jace." Alec told his parabatai. "We're not going to get anything out of him."

"You're the one holding the knife, Alec." Jace grinned.

"Oh," Alec looked down at his hand as if it wasn't attached and he had only just realized that it was there.

"Do it, Alec." Jace encouraged. He loved to watch people kill things almost as much as he loved to do it himself.

"Yes, Shadowhunter. Kill me. Or are you too scared to do it?" The demon taunted him.

Making a visible effort to move his hand, Alec sank the knife into the demon's chest. Black blood spurted out of the humanoid body and we watched in silence as the remains of the demon crumpled, folding in on itself until it vanished entirely.


	17. Chapter 17

_**I don't really have an excuse for not updating this time, except for the fact that I'm lazy and its summer. This chapter has a little bit from Izzy's point of view. She's my favorite character (besides Jace) and I felt she needed to say her part.**_

** Clary**

Sunlight. As usual, that was the first thing I saw as I awoke. The bright light against my face left me slightly dazed as my mind began to function. My eyelids snapped open and I groaned. I couldn't remember what time I had gone to sleep last night, but judging from the soreness in my body, it must have been late. I sat up and ran a hand through my disheveled hair.

The oversized t-shirt and old pair of Jace's boxers that served my pajamas were sweaty and the covers on my bed were twisted up. I could vaguely remember having a dream last night, but I couldn't recall what it was about. The events of the dream were fuzzy, but I was left with a bad taste in my mouth. Whatever the dream was about, I was glad that I couldn't remember it.

As I sat in bed, the events from the night before came rushing back to me. My lips curved into a satisfied smile. Everything had gone perfectly. Jace had obviously been ready to forget all about Aline when I up and left him to go dance with Ethan. I had to admit jealousy was an emotion Jace wore well. My boy was hot when he was mad. He had the same intensely furious expression he sometimes wore when fighting demons. When we got back to the Institute last night, Jace had looked at me the way he used to before this whole fiasco. And to top the night off, we had rid the world of a demon.

Overall, it was a very satisfying evening. The memories of last night were almost enough to make me forget the dream that I had. Almost, but not quite. I kept waiting for the dream to come back to me, because I could remember most of my dreams. I couldn't shake the feeling that my elusive dream might shed some light on what was happening.

**Isabelle**

"So, how does it feel to have your first kill out of the way?" Jace asked Alec, a huge grin spreading across his face.

It was hard to believe that Alec was almost twenty and he had never killed a demon. But before last night, the only thing Alec had killed was a pet goldfish. Even then, it was an accident. He had forgotten to feed the fish and mourned Goldie for weeks. Alec watched our backs. He was more concerned with keeping everyone safe than with the actual act of killing demons. That combined with Jace's love of killing things had kept him out of the real action.

"I'm surprised you haven't attacked him and torn off his clothes yet, Jace. We all know killing things gets you all hot and bothered." I said, not giving Alec a chance to reply. A year and a half ago, Alec would have freaked had I mentioned this notion, now however he just shook his head. Then again, a year and a half ago Alec was crushing on Jace and was terrified Jace would find out.

"As much as I hate to disappoint all of my male admirers," Jace replied with a smirk. "I don't swing that way."

"Like you actually have any admirers," I snorted. "Besides Clary."

"Everybody loves an angel." Jace retorted. Even as his sister, I had to admit that Jace was gorgeous. But as much as I loved the boy, I couldn't deal with the cocky attitude that came with the body. A little of that cockiness disappeared with what he said next. "Except maybe Clary. She doesn't seem to like me much lately."

He looked so much like the lost little boy who had first come to stay with us all those years ago. It would be so easy to forget about his behavior this past week and fall back into the routine we'd had for years. Jace still seemed to be his normal self, but his normal self would have noticed the wary glances everyone sent his way. For now, I could pretend he was the same.

"She's just hurt." I said soothingly. "She'll come around." I wasn't sure if the latter were true, but it seemed comforting.

"No she won't." Jace said dully. "I'm the one that hurt her." He stared listlessly at his battered knuckles. I didn't really know how to respond to that.

Finally, I said. "What happened to your hands? You look like you got in a fight a pile of bricks and lost." We all knew what had happened to his hands, but he didn't know that. I wanted to see what story he'd tell us.

"I punched a wall." He smiled ruefully, lifting one hand up for inspection. There was dried blood on his hand. He obviously hadn't bothered to care for his hands last night.

"Jace, we need to get that cleaned up." I said. "Alec, go get my stele."

"I have mine." Jace said, pulling the object in question from his back pocket.

I took the stele from him and inspected his hands. "Where's Clary when you need her?" I muttered under my breath after realizing that while I could heal them, I couldn't get rid of the blood. Clary could have just created a new rune to clean Jace's hands.

"It's probably better that Clary's not here," Jace said.

"Why is that?" Alec asked.

"She's the reason I punched the wall." Jace told us. He looked as if he was expecting some big reaction, but since Alec and I already knew this, it came as no surprise. "I know she was just getting back at me when she kissed that stupid mundane, but it's not in my nature to take things like that without a fight."

"So you got in a fight with a wall?" I didn't think I needed to point out the stupidity of that. I drew and iratze on his arm and watched his wounds heal.

"You act like I'm the only one with issues here," said Jace. "You still haven't told Maryse and Robert that you're pregnant."

"That is totally beside the point, Jace." He was changing the subject because he didn't want to talk about himself. "Go wash off your hands."

"It may be beside the point." He acknowledged, doing as he was told. "But you're going to have to tell them sometime."

"How am I supposed to tell them?" I demanded. "I've always been the good child."

"Good? You?" Jace snorted in disbelief. "_I _am the good child." None of us even bothered looking at Alec. He couldn't be the good child because he was gay in a society of homophobes.

"Really, Jace Wayland? Or is it Morgenstern or Herondale now?"

He narrowed his eyes and glared at me. "It's Lightwood, thank you very much."

"Actually," Alec said, trying to keep a fight from breaking out. "We all know who the good child was. It was Max. None of us are very good. Isabelle, you're pregnant at the age of seventeen. And the father is a Downworlder. Jace you're practically suicidal and you just cheated on your girlfriend in front of her face. This is like… what's that mundie expression? The pot calling the stove black?"

"Kettle." I corrected quietly. It was one of many mundie expressions that I had learned from Simon. Max's death a year ago had shaken us all. My mom still mourned her youngest baby every day. Jace had shut up as soon as Alec started talking. Now, he turned on his heel and walked out the door.

"Jace!" Alec called after him. "What's wrong?" He started to hurry after Jace, but I stopped him.

"Let me." I told him. Alec looked disinclined to do this, but I added, "He's having girl trouble, Alec. There is absolutely nothing you could do to help him."

"I could…" he started only to trail off. He seemed to realize that the only girls he knew were his sister, his mother, and Jace's girlfriend. "Never mind."

"Do you think I should tell him that he's possessed?"

Alec nodded slowly. "He has a right to know."

Oh, boy. I followed Jace out the door. This talk was definitely not going to be fun.

Less than an hour later, I took a cab away from the Institute. My talk with Jace helped me realize that leaving things unsaid was not a smart thing to do. And there was one person that I really needed to talk to.

I knocked on the door to Simon's room. "Mom, I'm busy." His voice floated through the door.

"Busy doing what?" I asked curiously. Knowing Simon, he was probably playing video games in his underwear. Or that stupid Dungeons and Dinosaurs thing he liked.

"Oh. It's you." This time his voice held none of the warmth it had before. "Go away, Isabelle. I need to be mad at you for a little while longer."

"You don't have any reason to be mad at me!" I shouted through the door. The boy was seriously getting on my nerves. "You're the one who knocked me up!"

Before I could say anything else, the door flew open and I was tugged inside. "Keep your voice down, will you?" the half-dressed boy in front of me demanded. Sure enough, a video game controller had been discarded hastily onto the floor behind him. Scattered across the floor were pieces to his other game. Dragons and whatever it was.

"Relax, Simon." I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at his paranoid attitude. "You're mom isn't here. She went to the store." He looked at me suspiciously for a moment. "She was leaving when I came in."

That seemed to satisfy him and he relaxed slightly. He pushed his glasses nervously up the bridge of his nose. He was standing a little too close for my comfort, and I was reminded of the fact we were alone in an empty house. As his eyes met mine and their expression softened, my heart beat increased.

"Are you still mad?" I asked. His lips curved into a self-depreciating smile and he leaned closer to me. I took that as a no. "Hmm…" I said, looking around his room. "We're alone in an empty house. Whatever will we do?"

Trailing his fingers up my rune-marked arm, he smiled crookedly. "I could think of a few things."

**Clary**

On most mornings, the majority of the inhabitants of the Institute could be found in the kitchen. Isabelle usually tried to cook breakfast and everyone else usually tried to find something else to eat without offending her. Today that didn't seem to be the case.

Walking into the kitchen, I noticed that the only person I saw was Alec. "Where is every one?" I wanted to know.

"I don't even get a hello?" He asked, pretending to be offended.

"That wounded dignity thing doesn't work on you, Alec." I commented. "It's more Jace's thing. But since you asked, no you don't get a hello." Instead of giving me one of his usual sullen looks, Alec actually smiled. He had been doing that a lot lately and it was kind of unnerving when I was used to frowns and glares.

"Jace is probably off sulking somewhere, and Isabelle went to visit Simon." He said Simon's name with distaste, obviously still being his over-protective brotherly self.

"Did anyone besides Isabelle bother to cook?" I shook my head. "Stupid question. Of course not."

"You could always eat this." Alec held up a Tupperware box containing something brown. It looked a lot like mush. Or dog poo.

"No thanks."I turned to walk back to my room, deciding breakfast wasn't worth it. "You know, I haven't seen Aline at all today. Do you know what happened to her?" I called over my shoulder. Was it cruel to hope his answer involved her falling off a cliff?

Alec's smile turned into a smirk. "She's gone."

I whirled around. "Gone where?"

"Let's just say I have a few connections with the Clave." I gave him a confused look. He was nineteen. How many important people could he know? He continued, "Aline was given a special assignment, hunting down the last of Valentine's men."

"I take it this mission is back in Idris?"

"Got it in one."

"Wait." A thought suddenly occurred to me. "I thought the Clave got the last of Valentine's men a while ago." Alec leaned back against the kitchen counter, his bright blue eyes held a hint of laughter. He looked as if he was up to something. It was an expression I was coming to realize meant he had been spending a little too much time around Magnus. "Alec, what did you do?"

"I didn't do anything." He folded his arms over his chest.

I didn't believe him for a minute. "So, this connection… It wouldn't be your boyfriend, would it?"

"He's not my-"

"Save it for someone who cares, Alec. You hang out with him almost every day, this hanging out involves kissing, and I'm pretty sure you two love each other. If he's not your boyfriend, you need to stop encouraging him."

"Fine," Alec conceded. "Magnus might have helped a little."

"That's what I thought." I turned to leave the room. After only two steps, I stopped again. "Oh, and Alec?"

"What?"

"Thank you." I gave him one last grateful smile before leaving.

With nothing better to do, I went back to my room. I sat down heavily on my bed, realizing that for the first time in a week, I had absolutely nothing to do. Sure, I could go home and help my mom with the wedding plans she was sure to be making. I could research demons, look through the Book of Shadows, or do a Google search for the ring. Those were all things I _could _do. Luckily, not a one was required.

Instead, I did what I had been longing to do all week. I got out my sketch pad. Flipping through it randomly, I realized that over half the pictures were of Jace. When he had first seen my sketch pad, he had been affronted that it had no pictures of him in it. He would be strutting around like a peacock if he took a look at it now.

I opened to a clean page and began a sketch that I had been itching to do for a while. Pencil in hand, I let my imagination take over. Slowly, under my hand, a picture began to take place. It depicted a not-so-sullen Alec and a sparkly Magnus. I was trying to capture the fervent energy that seemed to surround Alec when he was with the warlock.

I was interrupted by a knock on my door. "Clary?" a voice I would recognize anywhere came through the door.

"What do you want, Jace?" Despite my very satisfying revenge, I still hadn't completely forgiven him.

"Can I come in?" he asked. It was really awkward. Even before we dated, Jace had never asked to come in my room. He had a habit of barging in at the oddest times. "Clary?"

"Fine. You can come in." The door slowly creaked open and Jace stuck his head around it. "Are you coming in or not?" He came inside the room and stood awkwardly for a minute. "You can sit down if you want."

Jace Lightwood never got nervous, or so he often claimed. True to form, he looked uncomfortable but not nervous. He sat down on my bed, only feet away from me. His golden eyes roved from my hands, which were still clutching my sketch pad, to my body and finally up to my face. His gaze was almost tangible, and I had to look away to keep from reaching out to him.

"You're mad at me." It wasn't a question.

"Not mad, exactly." I told him, gathering my courage to look him in the face. "I'm more upset that anything."

He stared at me for a moment, not saying anything. "I miss you." The words that finally came out of his mouth were a surprise, but I could see in his eyes that they were true.

I gave him a small, sad smile. "I miss you too."

"Isabelle explained to me what happened." He said earnestly. "You know, with Aline." I didn't respond. "She said that a demon was possessing me." When I still didn't respond, he looked at me worriedly. "Clary?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "That's what it told me."

"Well, she was right." I couldn't help lifting my eyebrows in surprise. "I saw him today; he came to me. It was the same demon… What's his face? Botis."

"He came to you?" I was confused. "Like, the demon actually talked to you?"

Jace nodded in confirmation. "The demon had a message for all of us. It said that we were running out of time. We only have three or four more days left to find what the demon is after."

An alarmed expression crossed my face. "It doesn't know we have the Book of Shadows, does it?" If it had been possessing Jace, surely it had all the knowledge that he had.

"Apparently not." Jace's beautiful face reassured me. "If Botis knew, surely he would have mentioned it."

"We have to study that book to see if that's what it's after."

"Maybe the bloodsucker could do it," he suggested. His golden hair might be attractive, but the tone in which he referred to Simon was not.

"Oh, so he's not good enough for you to say his name, but he's good enough to do the work that _you _should have done yourself. That's so typical, Jace."

"Clary, that's not what I…" he argued. We both knew that was exactly what he meant.

"Just go away, Jace. Go bother someone else, because I really do not have time for you."

"That's the first time a girl has said that to me, even you." He tried to joke, but it fell flat. It was a sad day when Jace couldn't make fun of a situation properly.

"I'm serious, Jace." It irked me that I couldn't help but feel sorry for his stupid perfect blonde self. "I'm not in the mood for this."

"Clary. I know you don't like me right now." I snorted. That was the understatement of the year. "And okay, you might even hate me. But you have to believe that I love you." I looked away from him and stared at my half-finished drawing. He reached out and brought my chin up to where I had to look him in the eye.

"You're right," I lied. "I do hate you." I wanted to hate him. I really did, but I couldn't quite bring myself to do it.

He looked defeated. "Congratulations. You win, Clary. Do you want a medal?" Even when I had hurt him, he refused to give me the upper hand.

"Yeah, I'll take a silver medal along with a large order of fries." I retorted, flipping my red hair out of my eyes.

"Clary…"

"I'm sorry, Jace. I just can't do it." My mind knew it wasn't his fault, but my heart wasn't ready to let him back in while there was still a chance it could happen again.

"Do you want to know what the worst part was?" He asked. His tawny eyes gazed determinedly into mine.

"I'm sure you'll tell me anyway," I replied. He looked hurt by my flippant response, but it was too late to take it back.

"The worst part is that the second time it was like I was there. I could hear myself saying those things. See myself moving, but I wasn't in control." He looked pained. "You don't know how much I regret doing that. I would never hurt you on purpose Clary. You know that, don't you?" He seemed to think it was urgent that I realize this.

I already knew. "Jace, I know you would never want to hurt me. We love each other too much for that." I didn't want to say this. I wanted to hold him close and never let him go. "But don't make promises you can't keep."

_**Finally, the chapter you've all been waiting for, right? No more Aline. Very devious of Alec, don't you think? I always have a hard time figuring out what Alec would say, because he's only ever described as sullen and concerned for his family. I figure that by now, Magnus would have brought out a whole different side of him.**_

_**And poor Jace. I feel bad for him, but can you really blame Clary for acting that way? If this chapter has mistakes in grammar, that's because it's annoying and took me forever to write and I don't feel like reading back over it to check for mistakes.**_


	18. Chapter 18

_**This may be just a Mississippi thing, but there's nothing like riding a four-wheeler or a jeep off-road. Seriously, it's like a roller coaster just not as scary. I drove a four-wheeler through a huge mud puddle and got soaked. But it was worth it. :) As usual, my authors note seems to be totally off topic. Sorry about that.**_

Halfway between dreams and reality, Clary drifted in and out of sleep. Her body was lying in her bed, but her consciousness was far away. Surrounding her was a thick mist that made it hard to see. She seemed o float in the mist for a while before she finally sank into a dream.

"Clary!" she turned abruptly at the sound of Jace's voice. She peered right and left down the deserted street. Seeing no one, she looked around warily. "Clary!" Jace's voice came again. For some reason, she knew that this was a dream. She also knew that she had had this dream before, but she couldn't remember its ending.

Clary continued to gaze around warily. She had a feeling that something was about to happen. After all, dreams set on deserted roads usually ended with being chased by monsters. And Clary had seen enough real-life monsters to dread this type of dream.

"Clary!" Jace's voice came for a third time. She followed the sound through a maze of deserted streets. Her eyes drifted over building after building with no sign of life. When her eyes finally landed on a familiar shape, at first she didn't recognize it. She did a double take and saw Jace's crumpled form leaning against one of the many deserted buildings deep in the shadows.

Without a second's hesitation, she ran to him. Clary was petite and small, but Jace was her world. She had to help him. She ran surprisingly fast for someone of her stature. She was almost to his bent form when the air around her began to thicken. She had just enough time to see a serpent appear before she was yanked away.

"Clary, thank God you're awake." The words and the sigh of relief uttered with them snapped me back into reality. "You had me worried for a minute there."

"Jace?" I asked confusedly.

"No, of course not," came the offended reply. I opened my eyes to see my best friend peering nervously at me. Looking around, I realized that I had fallen asleep in my own room for once. "It's me, Clary. Simon. You're best friend. The vampire that-"

"I know who you are, Simon." I snapped, closing my eyes against the ever-blinding sunlight that was already giving me a headache.

"You called me Jace," said Simon. I couldn't quite ignore the accusatory tone of his voice. My eyelids fluttered open again and I looked up at him.

"I had a dream about him."I replied, noting the concerned tilt of Simon's head as he looked down at me. I also noted his change of expression as I said this.

"You even _dream _about him now?"Simon frowned.

I felt the blood rush to my face as I realized what he meant. "Not that kind of dream." I tried to the flush of my cheeks, knowing my face would give away the fact that I'd had that type of dream before. Often. Dreams where none of this demon crap had ever happened and I was in Jace's arms again. Dreams where Jace I were left alone in his room for hours on end.

I could tell from Simon's expression that I didn't fool him. Rather than make a big deal of it, he seemed to let it go. It was a rare moment when Simon or Jace didn't seize the chance to make fun of each other, and I savored it. "Well," Simon said. He got to his feet. "I've got to get to school. I just stopped by to see you." He turned to go, calling out over his shoulder, "See you later."

With those final words, he was gone, leaving me alone with my thoughts. The same thoughts that immediately turned back to my dream. I fell backwards against my pillow, my mind working overtime as I tried to recall the details of what I knew had been a vivid dream. I closed my eyes to try to envision it again. So far, all I could remember was that Jace was in the dream. It was frustrating to wake up knowing that I'd had a dream and not be able to remember it. I was especially frustrated because this was the third time this week I had woken up this way.

Somehow, my mind was telling me that each was a variation of the same dream. All involving Jace needing my help. If only I could remember. I lay there for what seemed like minutes pondering the possibilities of the dream. When I checked the clock beside my bed, I learned that it had been more like an hour. Giving up all hope of remembering the dream, I got out of bed.

Unlike at the Institute, at Luke's house, no one was in the kitchen. My hair freshly wet from my shower, I had come downstairs looking for food. Instead, I was greeted with an empty room. It made me miss the easy companionship the Lightwoods' home provided. I had to remind myself that my mom and Luke were probably only a few rooms away.

Sure enough, when I went to look for them, I found them in Luke's store. The store, Garroway Books, was in front of our house. When the whole war with Valentine was over, mom had taken over a lot of duties for Luke's store. They had both tried to convince me to go back to school, but I was content spending my days with the Lightwoods. My mom felt bad for hiding my heritage from me for so long. This guilt made her give in to almost anything I asked. It was the reason I was allowed to practically live at the Institute.

She was sitting behind the counter writing on a stack of envelopes. When I walked in, she looked up from the stack. Her red hair, so like my own, shifted as she looked at me. It never failed to surprise me how much I resembled her. "Clary," she smiled happily, looking surprised to see me. "You're just in time."

"Time for what?" I asked suspiciously. She had that too-bright smile that had always let me know she was about to convince me to something I didn't want to.

"To help me address these envelopes." I glanced down at the stack beside her. The stack was as high as if she had laid three copies of the Gray Book on top of each other and there was another stack on the floor. How many people were coming to this wedding? "Luke keeps getting drawn away by customers, so he's no help." She motioned across the room to where Luke was holding up a thick book to an old woman. His shop got a surprising amount of customers for its size.

I pulled a chair up beside my mom and reached for an envelope. "So," she said."How are things over at the Institute?" I knew she was really asking how my relationship with Jace was going.

"Bumpy." I replied. My mom was a retired shadowhunter. Well, she was as retired as a shadowhunter could be. Being a shadowhunter was more of a life style than an occupation. She still took out demons from time to time, but for the most part she worked at Luke's shop.

"Don't worry, honey." She smiled reassuringly. "You and Jace will work it out."

It was easy for her to be so confident the relationship would work. She was about to get married. Her boyfriend wasn't possessed by a demon every few days. I tried to turn my thoughts to happier things as I worked on addressing my second envelope. "You know, I haven't seen Simon around much lately," she said. "Then again, you haven't been around much either." She said the last part ruefully, as if it was her fault.

"I've been off killing demons." I told her. "You know, making the world a safer place and all that." I figured now would be a good time to change the subject. Otherwise, I would probably end up spilling my guts about everything that had been going on lately. "Since we're addressing envelopes, I figure you've decided on a date for the wedding?"

Her face lit up happily. "Luke and I are getting married two months from now. "

"In the middle of July?" I asked curiously. The humidity that time of year would make hair and makeup difficult.

"Yes, July tenth." She pulled another envelope from the pile. As if she could read my thoughts, she continued. "We're going to have it in Idris!"

My eyes widened. "Really? But what about Luke's pack …"

"Oh, the Clave has agreed that since most of them were bonded with shadowhunters during the war, they can come for the wedding. But they have to leave the next day." She frowned thoughtfully. "I'm not sure if they even want to come. Most of them don't like me."

"How could they not like you?" I asked. "You're beautiful and nice and…"

"And I'm a shadowhunter." She finished. "Most of them don't even like the shadowhunters they were bonded with for the war. Much less one that's marrying their alpha."

"I'm sure they'll come around," I comforted her. I hadn't had a girl talk like this with my in months. We went back to addressing envelopes in silence, but the silence was a comfortable one, a happy one. There was nothing awkward about it.

In the silence, my thoughts inevitably turned to Jace. His sincere apology yesterday had made me want to take him back then and there, but I couldn't as long as there was a possibility the demon would come back. I couldn't subject myself to that kind of pain again. Not when…

It was that moment that it happened. Out of nowhere, the dream I'd had came rushing back to me. And not just the one from today either; I could remember all of them. I could remember how in every dream, Jace was calling for me to help him. It wasn't often Jace admitted to needing anyone's help, even mine, so I knew he was in trouble. I could remember his face peering from the shadows and how in each and every dream the same giant serpent appeared. Jace was always trapped by the snake.

"Clary, are you okay?" I was pulled back into reality by mom's concerned voice.

"Yeah," I said slowly. I mentally shook my head to clear it. "I'm fine." She still looked worried, so I said, "I think I'm going to go back to my room."

"But I needed help with…" She started to protest. I could see the guilt kick in as she trailed off. "Okay, but you're going to have to help later."

"Don't worry, Mom. I will," I said before turning to go back to my room.

By the time I was enclosed in the safety of my room, I had already begun to search for meanings in the dream. Undoubtedly, my subconscious was telling me that Jace being tied to the demon in the dreams represented the fact that Botis was using him as a puppet. Less clear, however, was the message that the only way Jace could get free was through my help. How was I supposed to save him from a Greater Demon that claimed to command sixty legions of lesser demons?

I had no idea what to do, but I felt that I would need to talk to Jace to find out what he knew about the Greater Demon before I did anything else. I went to say bye to my mom and Luke before heading off. That was how I ended up going to the Institute for fourth time in as many days.

Instead of taking a cab, I figured it would be easier (and cheaper) to take the subway. There was a subway stop nearby and another one close to the Institute. The subway ride also gave me time to prepare myself for another conversation with Jace. Thinking of him and how I knew eventually, this would be over and we would be together put me in a good mood.

I was used to taking the subway with Jace, which inescapably got stares from random passersby. From random females, anyway. It was kind of nice to blend in with the many people on the car, many of whom were listening to IPods or texting on phones.

When I finally got to the Institute, I was still in a good mood. My good mood was immediately ruined by the sight I saw when walking up to the Lightwoods' home. In the alleyway beside the abandoned church the building appeared to be, there were three bodies. I reached into my sleeve for the knife I knew was hidden there. The bodies all appeared to be men, and from what I could tell, they were either dead or unconscious. The one closest to me was laying face-up and I could see a trickle of blood coming from what appeared to be a split lip. Other than that, he bore no marks from fighting.

Making sure to keep my hand on my knife, I took a closer look at the other two who were both laying face-down in the alley. I reached my arm forward to touch one. Almost as soon as my hand moved, I was jerked backward against something solid. A hand covered my mouth and another bound me to what felt like a very masculine chest.

"Don't scream." My captor hissed in my ear.


	19. Chapter 19

_**So, my dear readers, I have made Jace temporarily better, given Clary a chance to vent her feelings, updated soon, and taken Aline out of the equation. Am I great or what? Then again, that cliff hanger in the last chapter probably frustrated a few of you. **_

_**On to the story…**_

I had no intention of screaming. At first all I could do was panic. Then I remembered the first lesson Jace had ever taught me. He had said whatever I did, I couldn't panic. If I freaked out, my thoughts would be erratic and so would my motions. Neither of which would do me any good in a fight. I forced myself to calm down, breathing heavily through my nose. It was then that I remembered I had a knife literally up my sleeve. As soon as (or possibly before) he took his hand off of my mouth, I was going to stab him in the gut with it. There was no need to panic. If I could actually draw the stupid thing.

"I'm going to take my hand off of your mouth now," he said slowly. "If you scream I'm just going to cover it up again." I relaxed against him, giving the illusion that I wasn't going to fight. I was… Wait a second, I recognized that voice.

"_Jace?_" I demanded.

"Good, no screaming." I felt more than heard his sigh of relief. My back was still pressed to his chest, but as soon as he heard me say his name he had dropped his hold on me.

I turned to face him and backed away warily, stumbling when I tripped over one of the prone shapes in the alley. I had no way of knowing if this was my Jace or the demon-possessed one. My dilemma was quickly solved when I saw the hurt look that flashed across his face. He knew exactly why I had backed away. "It's _me_, Clary." He assured me. "The real me."

"The real Jace wouldn't kill random street people!" I shouted. His lessons flew right out the window as I began to panic.

"Clary, calm down!" Jace didn't sound too calm himself. "First of all, they're not dead." He reached down to touch his hand to the neck of the man closest to us. "Come feel." I did as I was told. "See? He's got a pulse."

"Well, you- he- still wouldn't attack random people."

"I was getting to that." He sounded slightly irritated as if he shouldn't have had to defend himself. "They're not random and they're not street people. Remember how you said you had a bad feeling about Rivera?" I nodded hastily, not seeing where he was going with this. "Well, I did too. Did you notice that three men from Rivera's followed us onto the subway?"

"Surely Isabelle or Alec would have noticed-" I began.

"Alec did." Jace interrupted. "He's the one who told me about them, but I saw them too. They've been hanging around for a few days. Rivera obviously commissioned them to get the book back. I was going to let them stew, but when I came out, they ambushed me."

"And the other two?" I asked, not quite believing him yet. "Are they dead?"

"Clary," Jace said again. This time he definitely sounded irritated. "Do you honestly think I would kill mundanes?"

"You said they were from Rivera's," I pointed out. "Why would he send mundane after the Book of-"

"Shhh!" Jace hushed me hastily. "Don't say the name of that book out here. If the demon hears it, he's sure to come back." My eyes widened with alarm as I realized what he meant. If the demon came back, it would make a beeline for Jace to use him again.

"Well, why would he send a mundane after the book?" I demanded. "And what kind of question is that? I'm sure you would kill whatever got in your way, Jace Lightwood."

A reluctant grin spread over his face. "You know me too well." I raised an eyebrow to remind him of my other question. "You never do that right," he protested. But he proceeded to answer my question. "Rivera had to send humans out after it."

"If it got into the wrong hands…" Oh. A lot of Downworlders would misuse a book like that. Especially warlocks, the type of Downworlder most likely involved with Rivera.

"Exactly." Jace confirmed my thoughts. "Anyone that wasn't a mundane would recognize an object of power like that. And you know how Downworlders are. Greedy little ba-"

"Hey!" I protested. "Simon isn't like that!"

"I wasn't talking about your beloved parasite, Clary." Jace sighed. "All I was saying was that most Downworlders would steal the book. Even you can't deny that."

"You never answered my question," I pointed out. "Are they dead?"

"Of course not." He seemed offended that I had even thought of it, despite having admitted he would kill anyone who got in his way not minutes before. "Though we might need to get out of here before they wake up."

I was in agreement with that. "Let's go." I said without a second thought. I followed Jace into the Institute and down the hallways that, inevitably, led to his room. I looked around the room. He reached down to take my hand, a seemingly unconscious gesture. I thought about pulling away, but I couldn't bring myself to let go of him.

In less than a week, our whole relationship had changed, but Jace's room hadn't. It still looked empty and not at all lived in. There was nothing out of place except for something sitting on his dresser. Jacee let go of my hand and I wandered over to it, finding the object to be a picture. Of me.

I looked up at him curiously, but Jace only shrugged. "I think it's kind of self-explanatory," he smiled. Not a grin or a smirk, but a genuine smile. I put the picture down, not wanting to go where this conversation was obviously headed.

"I actually came over here for a reason." I told him. "I need your help."

"Okay," he agreed readily enough. "Whatever you need, I'll do it." I looked up to meet his eyes. Jace was staring at me with an intensity that only he could pull off, and I could tell that he meant it.

"I don't need you to do anything. I just need information." I walked back over to him and took a seat on his bed.

"Information?" he asked. His gorgeous face had a confused look. I knew he was thinking about what information he could have that I didn't already know.

"About that Greater Demon. Botis." I clarified. Understanding crossed his features.

"What about him?" Jace asked. He was going to tell me despite his uncomfortable expression. This had to be a touchy subject, especially since it was the demon's fault any of this had happened.

"For the past week, I've been having a recurring dream." I informed him.

"Let me guess," he interrupted. "The starring role in this dream belongs to the demon?"

"Not exactly." I corrected. "That would go to either me or you."

A cat-like grin spread across his face. "So you dream about me now?" he asked with an arrogance that I had been missing lately. He had jumped to the same conclusion that Simon had. "And what, pray tell, do these dreams entail?"

"Shut up Jace." I snapped. This time, I was able to keep from blushing. "It wasn't that type of dream."

He pretended to look disappointed. "Too bad, I would really enjoy that type of dream." This comment caused my cheeks to turn red. "I have a feeling you would too." He gave me a knowing look.

"That is totally beside the point." I didn't bother to deny what we both knew was true. "I was _trying_ to say that in the dreams, the demon had you trapped. And I was the only one who could save you. So I need to know as much as possible about the demon if I'm going to do that."

"Clary, it's just a dream." He said. "Your subconscious pulls out random things and throws them together. It doesn't have to mean anything."

"But it does mean something." I assured him. "I know it does."

He shrugged. "If you say so."

"Are you going to tell me about the demon or not?"

"I will. Okay…" he thought about it for a minute. "You've met him before, so you know what he looks like. He's obviously really powerful. He'd have to be to possess someone. He claims to be a commander of sixty legions of lesser demons. Not sure if that's true or not."

"It's not a guy, Jace. Don't call it that." Demons weren't like humans. They didn't reproduce the same way. They didn't have the same organs. And they certainly weren't male or female. "What did you feel about it when you were being possessed?"

He began to look sick just thinking about it. His golden eyes looked pained and his face took on a green tinge. "The first time, I didn't feel anything. I just lost like forty seconds."

"But the second time…" I prodded.

"The second time was different." He mused. "I couldn't feel him exactly. It wasn't like he was inside my body. It was more like, for lack of a better word, a mind meld. Except I couldn't sense his thoughts. I could feel _something,_ but I didn't know what it was. I suspected that I was being possessed before Isabelle told me, but I didn't really believe it. I mean, you hear about that stuff in legends, but never in real life."

A sudden thought occurred to me. "If you knew you were being possessed, why didn't you say anything? Why did you go off and hide and leave me to think you hated me?"

"I could never hate you, Clary." He let out a humorless laugh. "I thought I could deal with it. I isolated myself to keep from hurting you any more than I already had. You saw what happened when I came out of my room." He was referring to his cruelness to Izzy and me after he kissed Aline again.

I closed my eyes, trying to process this new information. "Is that it?" I asked when I opened them. "Is that all you know about the demon?" If we talked about that much longer, I couldn't hold up the resistance I was trying to build.

He sighed at the sudden change of subject. "Yes."

"That doesn't help at all," I let out a sigh of my own.

"No, it really doesn't." He admitted. "But I know of something that might. If the demon is after the Book of… the book," he corrected himself before he could say the name. "There might be something in it that tells us why he wants it."

"Do you know where Alec is keeping it?" I asked. Deciding who was charged with the safe keeping of the book had been no contest. Alec was the responsible one; it was the smart choice to give it to him. But Jace knew Alec like the back of his hand, and Alec knew him the same way. They had been Parabatai since they were all of ten years old. Jace had to know all of Alec's secret hiding spots.

"Of course," he said, proving me right. "Give me five minutes."

He strode confidently out of the room, leaving me sitting alone on his bed. I looked down at my lap where I was still holding the picture I had found on Jace's dresser. I remembered the day this picture was taken. Alec, Izzy, Simon, Magnus, Jace, and I had all been hanging out at the Institute while Alec, Izzy, and Jace's parents were gone. Just a group of teenagers (and an old warlock) hanging out and having fun. I was the subject of the picture, but in the background, you could also see Izzy, Simon, and Jace himself. Which led me to suspect that Alec or Magnus had taken the picture.

Despite the camera's focus on me, my focus was entirely on Jace. My hand slipped unconsciously to the ring I kept on a chain around my neck. I kept the Morgenstern ring to remind me never to take for granted the fact that Jace and I were together. It reminded me of the time when we thought we were related. This ring reminded me of another ring that I had taken to carrying around.

Setting the picture gently on the bed beside me, I reached into my pocket to take out the ring that I had found on the dead werewolf. I studied it thoughtfully, wondering if it was just another of Disney's many baubles they made for children. I kept this ring because it reminded me of what we were fighting for. The innocents like that werewolf's little sister who were harmed when demons struck. Not that I needed much of a reminder that demons were evil.

I slipped the ring onto my finger, just to see if it would fit. It looked too big, but surprisingly it fit perfectly. The tiny little characters that adorned the ring seemed to be moving. I peered closely at it. As I stared at the ring, it began to shift before my eyes. I let out a scream. Later, I would think it was funny how I didn't scream at being attacked from behind, but a little shifting ring scared me. I tried to pull it off my hand, but it seemed to be stuck.

As I watched, it slowly shifted. The band became smaller and it began to change colors. The band became silver and all the Disney characters disappeared. Jewels appeared in small settings. Four small emeralds surrounded a larger golden colored stone. My panic slowed enough for me to realize that the stones were the color of mine and Jace's eyes. Eventually, the changes came to a halt and I realized that the ring wasn't going to blow my finger off or anything.

My brain was working overtime. I thought that the ring was beautiful, like something I hoped Jace would give me one day. I also thought it might still be dangerous. But one thought, much louder than the others, was telling me that this could be the ring the demon was after.

_**Hahahaha! I got you all worried for nothing. No evil demon, only Jace. … Sorry, I just couldn't resist. -Pretends to be contrite-**_

_**Most of your guesses were correct. The demon was after the little, seemingly harmless Disney ring, which is not a Disney ring after all but a very powerful demonic object that now belongs to Clary.**_


	20. Chapter 20

_**As usual, I have neglected to update for a week. I have a good excuse, but I'm sure you would rather me just go on with the story. So, here you go.**_

"Okay, I got the…" Jace held the Book of Shadows out to me. When he saw my expression, he stopped and the hand that was clutching the book fell to his side. "What's wrong?" He asked worriedly. His golden features twisted with concern.

I was sitting in the exact same spot that I had been since he left, still staring stupidly at the ring. I had dropped the picture I had been holding onto the floor and was completely distracted by this new revelation. I was so absorbed that at first I didn't even hear Jace's question. "What?" I asked blankly, just now realizing he was there.

"Is something wrong, Clary?" He asked. "You look like…"

He stopped again as he watched a grin spread across my face. "Like I just found what we're looking for." I finished for him. I held my hand with the ring on it out to him.

"What?" It was his turn to be confused. He dropped the book on the bed and took my hand. He looked at me like I was going insane. It struck me as ironic because I had been giving him that look a lot lately.

"The ring," I told him. He studied my hand carefully and I said, "It's the werewolf's ring."

I saw the change in his eyes as he realized what I meant. "Really?" His golden features were fixed in a surprised expression. I had the feeling that he was barely resisting letting his mouth drop open.

"What do you mean really, Jace?" I snapped. "Of course it's the same one. I put it on and-"

"Wait," he interrupted. "Didn't the one you found on the werewolf have Disney crap all over it?" He was still holding onto my hand as if the ring would disappear any moment.

"Yep. As soon as I put it on, it started to change until it looked like this." I motioned to my hand.

Jace studied the ring intently. His face contorted with concentration. When he was done scrutinizing it, he looked up at me with a smile. "You know, the stones are the same colors as our eyes." I stared at the ring so I wouldn't have to meet his eyes. "I wonder…" he mused quietly. "The ring changed when you put it on?" he asked again for confirmation. I nodded without looking up. "It must change to suit its owner."

I looked up nervously when he said this. I wondered if he knew what his words implied. His tawny eyes bore into my emerald ones telling me he knew exactly what he said. For a minute, it was like time stopped and there was only the two of us. The seriousness of his gaze took me off guard and reminded me that he cared about me as much as I cared about him. In that moment, if Jace had asked for anything, I would have given it to him.

Almost as suddenly as it had begun, the moment was over. "Oh, crap." Jace staggered backwards, holding a hand to his head. "Not now."

"What's happening?" I asked. I jumped to my feet and ran forward.

Jace let go of his head and stared right though me as if he couldn't see me. I had a feeling I knew exactly what was happening. I changed direction instantly, backing up as far as I could go. My knees hit the bed and I sank down on hard. This was the first time I had actually seen the change come over Jace as the demon showed up. Thinking quickly, I dropped the Book of Shadows on the floor and kicked it under the bed. Then, I slipped the ring off of my finger and was about to hide it when Jace's blank eyes cleared.

"What are you doing?" Jace demanded. His eyes had darkened, clear evidence that he wasn't in control of his body.

"Nothing." I said too quickly. I tried to cover up the fact that I was now holding the ring in my hand, but I could see Jace's (the demon's) eyes go straight to my hand that was balled into a fist.

"Really, shadowhunter?" Demon-Jace grinned cruelly. "Your little boyfriend should have taught you better than that." Jace's features were twisted into a cruel smile that made it impossible to mistake him for my Jace. He advanced slowly towards me and I slid off the bed making a run for the door. "Big mistake, Clary." I knew I had no chance of making it to the door before the Greater Demon possessing my boyfriend did, but I felt I had to try.

When he said my name, I stopped in my tracks. Botis wasn't supposed to know my name. He must have stolen the information from Jace. The knowledge that the demon had access to his thoughts and memories was like a physical blow. If he could get anything from Jace, who knew my every strength and weakness, I had even less of a chance than I thought.

When I stopped abruptly, I felt the ring fly out of my hand. I searched around frantically, hoping to find it before the advancing demon did. "Where is the ring?" Demon-Jace commanded me to answer. I turned around, knowing I couldn't leave my back to him and reached for a knife Jace had discarded on a nearby table. Clutching the knife frantically, I held it pointed toward Jace's body and the demon inside. He was only a few feet away now; close enough that I could stab him if I could work up the courage.

"Go ahead," Botis urged in Jace's voice. "Stab the Shadowhunter boy. Take away my body. It will only slow me down. Demons can manifest in many forms. Mere mortals do not understand."

I lowered the dagger slowly and cast around blindly for something to save me. I saw nothing, but my hand hit something small and hard. I picked it up realizing only after I had that it was the ring. I cursed under my breath and stuffed it in my pocket. I hoped to high heaven that the demon hadn't seen it. "I'm waiting." The demon continued. It was distracting to know that the Greater Demon was there but to only see Jace. "Run the Shadowhunter through." It was even more distracting to hear Jace's voice telling me to kill Jace. "After you deal with the boy, I can take the ring you just put in your pocket."

I stared the demon in the eyes and dropped the knife defiantly. "You'll have to go through me to get it."

Demon-Jace laughed evilly. "I can do that."

I tried to back sideways toward the door. The walls in the institute were thick and you couldn't hear through them, so I couldn't yell for help. If I could only get out, I could probably alert Isabelle or Alec to the demon's presence. Alec's room was just across the hall. All I had to do was make it to the door.

"Oh, no you don't." Before I could take two steps, the demon in Jace's body threw me against the wall. My back hit the edge of Jace's dresser and I felt a flash of white-hot pain. I had to struggle to stay conscious. My mind wanted to black out from the pain. Through the haze, I could see three Jaces. All of them leaned over me and they crashed together in my mind. I saw one reach forward toward me.

The Jace that reached towards me stuffed his hand in my pocket and came up with whatever he was after. "Finally!" He shouted triumphantly. "You mortals have no idea what kind of power this ring possesses. With this, I will win control of the demon world one universe at a time. Not one will stop me! Cacus, Asmoday, and Belphegor will be but stepping stones on my way to the throne." He ranted and bragged of his might over what I assumed were other demons. My head was still fuzzy, so I wasn't exactly sure what Demon-Jace was talking about, but I gathered enough to realize that this wasn't just one demon out for power. There were others involved and as soon as one got complete control over its own universe, it would move on. This was a path that would eventually lead it straight to earth.

This discovery echoed in my head as I fought to concentrate on what the demon was saying. My head began to swim and my thoughts blurred until I couldn't see a thing. I didn't even realize that the demon was gone or see Jace slump unconscious to the ground. All I saw was a blanket of black and then there was nothing.

"Clary!" A voice shouted in my ear. My mind was lucid enough for me to recognize it as Alec's. "Jace!" He yelled again, his voice farther away.

"He won't answer you." Another voice interrupted. I was less sure of whom this voice belonged to, but the voice was definitely male.

"What?" The dark-haired Shadowhunter asked.

"Didn't he go unconscious before when the demon got a hold of him?" The voice-that-wasn't-Alec's asked. "This whole place reeks of demon. I'm guessing Clary found something she wasn't supposed to find and took it to her demon-possessed boyfriend."

"Or something she _was_ supposed to find." Alec's voce corrected. "Magnus help me wake her up." So that was who the second voice belonged to.

"Clary!" Alec's voice was close to my ear again.

My eyes still didn't want to open, but I forced my eyelids apart. "You don't have to yell so loud." I managed to bite out.

"You're awake!" He exclaimed. He was still yelling too loudly. My back still throbbed where it had hit the dresser. I was now laying flat on my back and I could see two faces peering at me. Alec's dark head looked nervous but Magnus seemed detached. He had his healer's face on and I could tell he was studying me for injuries.

"Yeah, and I would get up too, but my back hurts too badly." I said. The room was spinning again. It was not a very good thing to have happen twice in one day. "What happened to Jace?" I asked.

"He was unconscious on the floor beside you," Alec told me. "We're not really sure what happened."

"But he's still there?" I asked worriedly. I saw two Alecs through my blurry vision. "Wow, my head hurts." I leaned back against the floor.

"Magnus will help you." Alec said nudging the sparkly warlock.

"You'll have to get out of the way first, Alec." The words sounded odd coming from Magnus's mouth. There was something gentle about them that didn't seem to fit with his rainbow-colored clothes and detached persona. Alec moved quickly out of the way and Magnus got to work turning me over to see the wound.

"Ow! Ouch!" I hissed between my teeth as Magnus turned me onto my stomach. I let out a few expletives as he lifted my shirt away from my back. When Magnus had the shirt out of the way enough to see the wound, I heard Alec wince. "How bad is it?" I asked.

"You really want to know?" Magnus asked.

"That bad?" I returned. Magnus didn't answer. He prodded the wound gently, drawing another few words out from between my clenched teeth. "Wow, Clary. I wouldn't have thought you even knew some of those words."

"Shut up." I ground out.

"Now, now." Magnus teased. "You wouldn't want to make me mad. I am the person that's going to heal you." I just glared. It was a perfectly good glare wasted on the floor because Magnus was busy poking my back. He kept it up for a few more minutes before saying, "All right then."

"What?" I demanded. He couldn't be finished yet. "It still hurts!"

"That's because I'm not done." He retorted. He poked me harder than necessary to punctuate his point.

"Oh." I said sheepishly. Well, as sheepishly as I could with my teeth clenched against the pain.

I comforted myself with the fact that the world was no longer blurry. But my back was still aching. Magnus did something else and all of the sudden, it no longer hurt. I slumped happily against the ground. "Help me lift her onto the bed," Magnus told Alec. If I wasn't so happy that he had made the pain in my back stop, I would have snapped at him. I was five foot nothing. I didn't weigh enough for it to take two guys to lift me.

Instead, as soon as they dropped me onto the bed, I threw my arms around Magnus. "I love you!" I exclaimed. Now that my back no longer hurt, Magnus seemed like a much better person.

"Woah, now." He unwrapped my arms from his neck. "I think Alec has dibs." I frowned at him. Now was not the time for jokes. "So," he deliberately ignored me. "I think you owe us an explanation."

I had a lot to tell them; that was for sure. But the question was, where to start?


	21. Chapter 21

"Oh, wow." Isabelle said after we were done explaining the past few hours' events. Alec and Magnus had gone to find her so that they could all hear my story at once. "So… our best fighter, besides me of course, is unconscious._ Again._" I nodded confirmation. "The Greater Demon has a ring that lets him control other demons thoughts. And to top it all off, he's not the only demon after it and they're going to start a war to take over the worlds."

"Yep, that's pretty much it." I told her. I was sitting on the edge of Jace's bed, as was Magnus. Isabelle paced back and forth and Alec stood leaning against a wall. I spared a glance at Jace's prone body lying behind me on the bed. In a gesture of unnoticed solitude, I reached behind me and wrapped my hand around his cold one. I didn't have time to worry, but that didn't stop me from doing so. I would trade anything just to make sure that Jace made it out of this alive and okay.

That's great, just great." Isabelle snarked in reply.

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated." Magnus commented, leaning against Jace's headboard. I noticed that he was wearing his usual rainbow pants with a matching glittery top. His spiked hair only added to the strangeness of the look.

"Well, look on the bright side." I put in. "We still have the Book of Shadows." I held it up. No one except Alec bothered to look up.

Isabelle looked like she was about to hyperventilate. "Calm down, Izzy." Alec told her. "Don't panic. We've dealt with worse before. Remember Valentine?" He sent an apologetic look to me as if I cared that my father was dead. It was actually a fact that I was very happy about.

"Yeah, well." She said pacing back and forth. "_Your_ adopted brother isn't possessed by an evil demon commander intent on destroying the world in a great big demon fight." She had a point. Greater demons themselves were grappling for power and the werewolf had placed us all in the middle. There was only one flaw in her logic.

"Isabelle?" Alec asked gently. She stopped pacing.

"Yeah?"

"We're siblings. Jace is my brother too."

"Oh." A new expression crossed her face as she remembered Jace was in fact Alec's adopted brother. "I'm so sorry," she sighed. She sat down abruptly in a chair by Jace's bed. "I don't know what's wrong with me lately." We all looked at her. "Okay," she admitted. "Maybe I do."

"Is she always this hormonal or is it just a pregnancy thing?" Magnus asked his boyfriend in a whisper just loud enough for the whole room to hear.

Alec made a shushing motion, but it was too late. Isabelle heard Magnus. "I can't believe you," She said to Alec. "You _told_ him?"

"You shouldn't be so surprised," the sparkly warlock said matter-of-factlly. "Alec and I are _very close_." He practically purred as he said the last words. "We tell each other everything."

"Well, I would appreciate it if you would leave my private business out of your discussions." Isabelle snapped.

"You don't have to be so antagonistic all the time." Magnus told her calmly, inspecting his nails as if they were suddenly interesting. "It's not becoming."

Isabelle's eyes narrowed defensively. "I am not antagonistic." She declared with a toss of her hair. "Am I, Alec?"

Alec looked uncomfortable. He didn't want to interfere on an argument between his boyfriend and his sister, especially when his sister was wrong. "Well…" he began. "You're, um, up-front. You tell it like it is." Alec was failing to comfort her. He turned to me for help. "Clary, what's another word for that?"

I looked at him like he was crazy before saying, "Antagonistic?"

Alec gave me another you're-not-helping look and lifted his eyes upward as if expecting help from there. "Who's side are you on, Clary?" Isabelle asked.

I knew she meant it rhetorically, but I thought about it for a minute. Finally, I decided. "Neither." I said firmly. "I'm… what's that country? Canada."

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Switzerland." She corrected. "If you're trying to be neutral, I believe the expression is that you're Switzerland. "

"Well, what if I wanted to be Canada?" I asked sulkily. "They have moose and police men on horses."

"That seems like a personal problem." Alec said his dark eyes serious. It was always hard to tell when he was joking, but I knew he was because that was a line that he had picked up from Jace. They both knew that it never failed to annoy me.

"Actually," Magnus said, lifting a finger with its bright canary yellow nail in my direction. "I've been to Switzerland and I'm pretty sure they have moose there." He tapped his finger to his chin thoughtfully. "Not so sure about the po-po."

"You went to Switzerland without me?" Alec asked. He sulked, managing to pull off the look a lot better than I had. His dark hair fell over his eyes which held a hurt expression.

"Darling," Magnus laughed. "I went to Switzerland before you born. Otherwise, I would have gladly taken you with me." Alec perked back up until Magnus added, "With your parents' permission of course."

"For some reason, I can't see the Lightwoods agreeing to let lover boy over there and his sparkly warlock go gallivanting off to Switzerland for a romantic getaway." I commented.

"Lover boy," Magnus laughed. "I like that." Alec scowled at me, then at Magnus. Apparently he didn't like his new nickname.

"Way to get off subject, guys." Isabelle shook her head at us. "One second, we're planning to save the world, and the next you're trying to leave the country. Do you even remember the point of this discussion?"

"No." Magnus answered running his hand over his hair as if to make sure it was still perfectly styled. "What were we talking about again?"

"Have I ever mentioned that I don't like you?" Isabelle narrowed her eyes at him.

"It might have come up once or twice." Magnus' cat-like eyes sparkled with suppressed laughter. "But everyone loves the High Warlock of Brooklyn. Just ask Alec." Alec didn't look like he was ready to agree with anything that came out of Magnus' mouth. He still looked mad about the Lover Boy comment.

"I, for one, do not love the High Warlock of Brooklyn." Isabelle said matter-of-factly. "And Alec looks more inclined to agree with me than with you."

Magnus looked to Alec for confirmation of Isabelle's statement. Then he put on his best sad face and said, "I'm going off to sulk. In a corner. Alone." The man definitely had a flair for the dramatic. He got off of the bed and headed for the door. We all expected him to go back and sit down, but he started to leave, looking woeful.

"Where are you going?" Isabelle asked.

"I told you I'm going off to sulk." Magnus said melodramatically. Isabelle gave him a look. "Fine, if you must know, I have to use the lavatory." He said it in such a dignified manner that at first I didn't realize what he meant.

"The what?" Isabelle asked.

"The restroom." He clarified.

"Your age is showing," Alec pointed out. Magnus' hand lifted involuntarily to his hair as if he expected it to turn gray and fall out. "No one uses words like that anymore."

"Even the High Warlock of Brooklyn has to go potty," Isabelle teased with a grin. Magnus didn't deign to reply as he made a sweeping exit.

Less than a minute later, Magnus made a much less sweeping entrance. "Maryse is coming down the hall." He said hurriedly. "We have to hide Jace." We all turned to look at Jace's unconscious body but none of us made a move to get him.

With a toss of her hair, Isabelle stepped forward. "Since no one else is taking the initiative, Alec get his torso, Magnus get his legs." Both guys followed her orders and took hold of Jace. They got him off the bed before they realized that they had a dilemma. Trying to breathe under Jace's apparently heavy weight, Alec managed to get out, "Where do we put him?"

Isabelle looked around. There was only one logical place to hide him. "In the closet," she said decisively. I felt like I was in some horror film where they hid the bodies in the worst places. My life seemed like a horror movie sometimes. Magnus and Alec deposited Jace's body on the tidy floor of his own closet. They just barely managed to close the door before Maryse came in the other one.

"Hello, everyone." Maryse said as she peered around the door. Her eyes slid over everyone in the room, stopping on Magnus. It was funny how she didn't seem to notice that Alec was leaning against Jace's closet door breathing heavily. "Always great to see you Magnus." Something about her tone said the opposite, but she and the warlock exchanged polite glances.

Maryse looked around the room for Alec, Izzy, and Jace. Not finding her third child, she asked the obvious question. "Where's Jace?"

Isabelle glanced slyly at Magnus before saying, "He went potty."

Maryse looked slightly surprised by her daughter's immature language, but seemed to forget about it as she said, "I just needed to tell you three that your father and I are going back to Idris for a few days. We have to go with the Penhanllows to give our report to the Clave."

Alec and Isabelle both nodded, taking the information easily. Maryse and Robert Lightwood spent more time abroad than they did at home, a fact that their children took full advantage of. "It's too bad Aline had to leave." Magnus let out a faint giggle and Izzy a derisive snort. Maryse either didn't hear or chose to ignore them. She continued. "That girl could benefit from the company of people her age."

"I assume you require my services," Magnus said gallantly into the silence that greeted Maryse's statement. "I would be happy to provide them." His tone was a little too sugary as he tried to schmooze his boyfriend's mom.

"You can start working on the portal. We'll be ready to go whenever you finish." Maryse said. She seemed happy with Magnus' presence now that she had need of him. "I need to go finish packing." With that parting remark, she closed the door behind her.

"You didn't have to do that for them." Alec reached for Magnus' hand as soon as his mom was gone. He looked intently at the older man, his expression conveying some message that it seemed only Magnus could read.

Magnus smiled indulgently at his dark-haired boyfriend. "I didn't do it for them. I did it for you." A dark red blush spread across Alec's cheeks as he seemed to remember that they weren't alone in the room.

"Excuse me while I barf." Isabelle interrupted, ruining the moment. "Now is not the time for all that lovey-dovey stuff. There will be plenty of time for that after Magnus makes a portal to send our parents to Idris and the rest of us save the world."

Magnus seemed to take that as his cue. "I believe I have a portal to make." He said. He took hold of Alec's hand and pulled the shadowhunter after him. "After you, Lover Boy." Instead, of making Alec mad like the nickname had before, this time a strange expression crossed his face.

"That's it!" He exclaimed.

"What's it? I thought you didn't like the name Lover Boy." I was confused.

"Yeah," Isabelle put in. "You lost us."

"A portal!" Alec said. He looked more animated than I had ever seen him, apparently convinced that whatever he had discovered was brilliant. "That's how we can find the demon. Even a Greater Demon can't go from world to world without a portal. If we find the portal…"

"We find the demon." Isabelle finished for him.

_**This chapter is short because the characters were being stubborn again (well, that and my brain is still on summer mode). I don't particularly like it, but it did make me laugh. **__** Especially Alec's new nickname. And Jace being stuffed in a closet.  
**_


	22. Chapter 22

_**People keep borrowing my Mortal Instruments books, so i can't look up things like what portals and stuff are like. And i keep having to make things like that up. Besides that, ****this chapter was so much easier to write than the last. I just kind of sat down and it all came out. It's also much longer cuz i kind of got carried away and couldn't make the voice in my head that tells me what to write shut up.**_

"I found it!" Isabelle exclaimed. She smiled triumphantly.

Alec, Magnus, and I turned to look at her. "You found out where the portal is?" I asked hopefully. We had already had two false alarms on places the portal could be, and I hoped this wasn't another one.

Isabelle looked slightly confused. "Um, no. I found my spare whip. It's been missing ever since the night we first found that Greater Demon." She held up a silver-gold whip that looked exactly like her other one.

I sighed. "We need to find the portal soon, before something worse happens."

"We're all doing the best we can." Alec reassured me. He glanced at his sister who was still inspecting her whip as if a demon had gotten a hold of it. "Well, most of us anyway."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, Alec and I both searching for information on the demon and Isabelle doing whatever it was that she was doing. I was searching random websites for any unusual paranormal activity, not that the writers of the sites would recognize it as that. Alec was making calls to our connections in the part of the city near Pandemonium and the Werewolves' hangout spot. So far we had turned up nothing, but there was still time yet.

We continued on in this manner for another thirty minutes or so until we decided to take a break for a lunch. Then it was back to work. This time, Isabelle decided to help and things began to go faster. Once he was finished with the portal, Magnus showed up. He poofed into the room. One second the chair in front of Alec was empty and the next, Magnus was sitting there.

Magnus grinned, knowing Alec hadn't sensed his presence the way Isabelle and I had. Alec was too distracted by his phone conversation. Magnus got up and went to stand behind Alec."Hey, Lover Boy."He whispered in the younger man's ear. When Alec heard Magnus' voice in the otherwise silent room, he almost jumped out of his chair in surprise.

"Don't call me that." He snapped at Magnus. His cheeks were pinkish. "Oh, no not you," he reassured whoever was on the other end of the phone. "I just, he- Oh, never mind."

"You need to learn how to take a joke." Isabelle told her older brother.

I leaned over to her and whispered, "I don't think Magnus was joking." She gave me a knowing grin and went back to her computer search. Meanwhile, Magnus leaned back lazily in his chair looking at Alec like the cat that got the canary. He really enjoyed flustering Alec.

"Yes, yes. Thank you." Alec was saying into the phone. "You too. Good bye." He pressed the hang up button and turned back to us. "That." He informed us. "Was the information we were looking for."

"You found out where the portal is?" I almost regretted asking. We were already suited up with marks and weapons. Now all we had to do was find the information we needed and we were off. I wasn't exactly excited to go after a super powerful demon, even if I did want this all to be over.

"Not exactly, but I found out where the portal might be." He said.

"Well, you're just all kinds of useful today, aren't you sweetie pie?" Magnus smile at his shadowhunter, causing Alec to blush again.

"The only question is," Alec continued through his embarrassment, "how are we going to get there?"

"I could always just zap you there." Magnus offered.

"No." Alec said decisively before anyone else could speak. "No. No. and no again."

"Why not?" Magnus asked. He looked offended that his boyfriend would want nothing to do with his magic. "It would be a lot easier and more convenient than trying to find some other form of transportation."

"He has a point." I said. "And plus, I've never been zapped before."

"No way." Alec repeated, ignoring me. "Last time you zapped me some place, I didn't poop for a week."

"But I fixed that, didn't I?" Magnus replied exasperatedly. Seeing my half-disgusted, half-confused expression, the Warlock explained. "I'm the High Warlock of Brooklyn." As if we hadn't heard _that _a million times. "I supply a number of potions to a variety of people. I just so happened to have one that fixed Alec's ailment."

"Ew!" Isabelle interjected. "This is totally gross! I am so not about to discuss Alec's poo. Can we please change the subject?"

"Great, so it's settled." Magnus said. "I will zap the three of you to this place Alec says you need to go."

"Wait," Alec objected. "I don't remember agreeing to that."

"Whoopsy-daisy." Magnus said, wrapping an arm around him. "I forgot to ask your opinion. How would you prefer to travel, Alec dearest?"

"Well, I don't want to be zapped, that's for sure." Alec said. I thought it was funny that he had no objection to being called dearest, yet the name Lover Boy bothered him.

"Girls?" Magnus asked. Isabelle and I both voted for being zapped. "Sorry, darling." Magnus told Alec. "You've been out voted four to one."

"Four?" I asked while Alec sulked again.

"Well, my magnificent opinion counts twice, of course." He explained, snapping his fingers. The next thing I knew, he was gone.

Looking around the room, I realized it was the three of us that were gone, not Magnus. We were no longer in a room at all, but an enclosed space that I recognized as the entrance to Luke's neighborhood. When I mentioned this, both Alec and Izzy looked up in surprise. "You don't think…?" Izzy asked.

"No." Alec shook his head.

I knew they were wondering whether this site was chosen purposely by Botis. The demon had been after the werewolves. And Luke happened to be the alpha of said werewolf pack. I too wondered if it was just a coincidence.

Halfway down the deserted road, Isabelle pulled out a sensor. "We should be able to smell traces of Greater Demon on the portal, but we can never be too careful." She explained.

We made it halfway down the road without picking up any demon energies, but then Isabelle called for us to stop. "Alec, Clary, wait up. I've got something!" She said. We turned to look at the house the sensor was aimed at. It looked old and dilapidated. There was a for-sale sign in the yard that looked like it was going to fall off of its hinges.

"That's funny." I frowned. I hadn't ever noticed this house before and it was only two blocks down from Luke's house.

"This could be what we're looking for." Isabelle said excitedly. She had her silver-gold whip curled in one hand and the sensor in the other. "Let's go inside."

"I don't think that's such a good idea." Alec warned.

"Live a little Alec. How often is it that you get to sneak into a deserted old house looking for evil demons?"

"In our line of work?" He asked drily. "Almost every day."

"Well then one more time couldn't hurt, could it?" I asked.

Alec gave me a smile that held not a hint of humor. "I thought you were learning better than to ask that, Clary." But he followed Isabelle into the house without further argument, leaving me to bring up the rear.

The first room we came into was some sort of living room. There was graffiti on one of the walls and the furniture was all overturned. In short, it looked as if demons or looters had ransacked the place. Isabelle followed the sensor through the kitchen and into a hallway. The sensor's readout was the strongest in the room at the farthest end of the house from the entrance. The bed in the room had been overturned just like the couch in the living room. It wasn't until I entered this room that I smelled it.

"That has got to be one of the worst things I've ever smelled." I complained. I pulled my shirt over my nose to block it, but the cloth could only do so much against the stench of a Greater Demon. Alec was similarly occupied but Isabelle was distracted.

"Guys!" She called. Alec and I both looked around, just now realizing she had gone ahead of us. "I think you had better come see this."

Alec and I both rushed forward. Isabelle was standing on the far side of the room in the doorway that I assumed led into a closet. Upon further inspection, I realized that there was not a closet behind the door but a bathroom. In the place where the mirror used to be there was now a glowing doorway that was as tall as the ceiling of the room.

"I could close the portal." I offered. "Then they couldn't come back." I had a feeling they wouldn't go for this, but it was worth a shot. I much preferred sealing the demons in their own world to fighting them here.

"That won't work." Isabelle said. "Then they'd just get a new portal. Demons come to our world all the time. This can't be the only portal nearby."

"It's not." Alec said matter-of-factly. "Magnus said some of the Warlocks against the Clave have even been helping demons build portals to let more through. He thinks they're on Botis' side. Though he said one of them mentioned another demon… Asmoday, I think was his name."

"And you're just now deciding to tell us this?"

"I've had bigger things on my mind lately." Alec defended himself. "Like my Parabatai being possessed. And my little sister getting pregnant. I don't even know why I let you come. What if something happens?"

"If it makes you feel better, I'll stay hidden in the closet over there while _you_ fight the demon." Isabelle refused to be cowed. "How many demons have you killed again Alec? Oh, yeah. One. And Jace was holding him down for you. How well do you think you'll fare alone with a _Greater _Demon when you can't even kill a regular one?"

I stepped in between them before this could get messy. "Isabelle. Alec isn't alone. Or did you forget about me?" She didn't say anything; she just continued to glare at her brother. Part of the reason she was so mad at him was because she knew he was right, but that was a conversation for later. "Now is not the time to have this discussion. A demon could come through the portal any minute. For now, I think we should _all_ hide in the closet. Otherwise, we're going to be caught off guard."

"Fine." They both said at the same time. Isabelle pulled the closet open and peered inside.

"I am not going in there," she said backing up. "There's gunk all over the floor. That will totally ruin my shoes!"

"Isabelle don't be such a baby." Alec said, looking around her into the room. "It's only water damage. Look, the ceiling's got cracks."

"Do you know how much Calvin Klein boots like this cost?" Isabelle demanded.

I studied the shoes. "I'm guessing a lot."

"Three hundred dollars! And they're going to get ruined."

"You shouldn't have worn them." Alec said. "You knew they might get demon guts on them. How is water worse than demon guts?"

"But…"

"Get in the closet, Isabelle." She finally did as he asked. We both followed her into the cramped space. Luckily, except for the water, the small room was empty. Alec left the door open just enough for us to see out of.

"Isabelle, you're going to have to stay in the closet when we fight. You know that right?" Alec asked.

"Why?" She demanded. "I can fight just as well as you can." Alec wasn't listening. He stuck his head out the door, eyeing the bathroom.

"It's not your skills he's questioning." I told her. "He doesn't want to endanger your baby."

"Oh." Isabelle seemed to completely forget about her ruined boots as she contemplated this new thought. "Well, I still think you're going to-"

"Shhh! Some one's coming!" Alec announced ducking back into the closet. I found it ironic that in telling us to be quiet; he was louder than either of us. Isabelle and I stopped talking.

We looked up just in time to see a tall figure fall out of the portal and land on his butt almost hitting what was left of the bed. Some of his too-long black hair fell into his face as he landed and he almost dropped the item he was clutching nervously. I had never seen a nervous demon before except when we were about to kill one. This one stood up and brushed himself off. "I have to find her," the man I assumed was a demon muttered, the nervousness in his face also showing in his tone. "Can't lose the ring. Botis would kill me."

"Well, he obviously knows Botis." Isabelle pointed out as if that was incentive enough to kill him. "And it sounds like he works for the Greater Demon."

"Well, before we go stabbing things into that guy, we're gonna want to make sure it's a demon." Alec pointed out.

"You're such a stickler for details." Isabelle complained. "He's clearly on the bad side. Why can't we kill him?"

"You sound like Jace," was all Alec said as he turned back to the demon. The tone in which he said it reminded me that I wasn't the only one missing Jace. And I definitely wasn't the only one missing his shadowhunting skills.

The black haired man stuffed whatever he was holding into his pocket and pulled something else out. The new thing looked a lot like a cell phone or a shadowhunter's sensor. He pushed random buttons, muttering to himself all the while.

"How do I work this thing? The girl has to be nearby. No. This can't be right." He reached down and patted his pocket. "Good. The ring's still there."

"The ring. Did you hear that?" I breathed my voice barely a whisper. "I wonder if it's _the_ ring."

"No." Alec said. "A Greater Demon would never give up that kind of power to a lesser demon. And he definitely wouldn't give it to a demon equal to himself. Demons are all about power plays. They don't trust anyone."

"Botis doesn't have to trust one of its minions to give them something." I pointed out. "The Greater Demon only has to beat them down enough to where they won't dare defy it."

"Shut up." Isabelle whispered in my ear. "I can't hear him."

"Stupid tracker." The shaggy haired guy beat at the device he was holding until it broke. Then he muttered a swear word. "Thing doesn't work. The little brat couldn't be here." Wait a second, it sounded as if he was trying to track…

All of the sudden, the guy's head lifted up and he looked around anxiously. He scanned the room with nervous eyes. "Who's there?" He demanded. He reached into his shoe and pulled out a wickedly sharp knife.

Isabelle clutched her whip and I saw Alec grip his staff tighter. My own hand went to the knife tucked into the waistband of my gear. It was the same seraph blade that Jace had given me only a few days before. I had named it Iofiel, after the angel of beauty, because the small dagger was certainly beautiful.

The demon's eyes settled on the closet door. "Ah, there you are." He smiled cruelly. "So the thing wasn't broken after all. Come out!" He took two steps toward the door. None of us moved.

Alec was the closest to the door, but he made no move to open it. "Fine." The demon sighed. "If you must be that way."He threw the knife he was holding at the door. Part of the blade poked through but Alec jumped out of the way just in time to avoid having his arm sliced open. With the same movement that kept him from being injured, he gave us away. Thinking we might as well attack since he knew we were here, he threw the door open and ran at the unprepared demon.

I followed his lead. Though the demon moved even faster than we could, Alec was only a few steps away when he charged. He ran into the demon full force, knocking it over. Out of nowhere, Isabelle's whip lashed out and bit into the demon's cheek. Black blood came from the wound. Alec was trying to tie the demon's hands together so we could question it, but the demon was stronger than he was. It threw him off and Alec fell against the overturned bed, its mattress cushioning his fall.

I stabbed with my knife, managing to catch the demons arm with the tip. Stabbing again, I caught his bicep on the blade. Isabelle's whip lashed out again and this time, it hit the same arm that I had cut twice. The demon drew his own blade and lashed out at me with inhuman speed. My shadowhunter reflexes allowed me to dodge before I even fully processed that he had struck. Alec was back on his feet and back in the action. He was a welcome distraction because with the demon no longer focusing on me, I had less of a chance of getting hurt.

Alec lunged forward with his staff and I did the same with my knife coming from opposite directions. The demon dodged backwards avoiding Alec's blow. In doing so, he turned to face me reaching out with his knife, he slashed my arm. I tried hard not to scream at the sudden flash of pain. My knife clattered to the floor and the demon took this as an opportunity to strike again. Before he could, Alec hit him, distracting him again. Almost reflexively the demon swatted me away with the hand that wasn't holding a knife. I flew backwards and hit the wall. Unlike last time when I hit a dresser, this time I landed against a broken down desk. Again I felt a flash of white hot pain and I blacked out.

I awoke to Isabelle's voice saying. "I put an iratze on her. She should wake up soon. She'll still be in pain, but for now that's the best I can do."

"Good." A terse voice replied. I assumed that was Alec. "I have him tied down securely. Wake her up."

"Clary?" Isabelle shook me as gently as she could, trying not to make my wounds any worse. "Clary, are you awake?"

"I have got to stop getting hurt and passing out." I sighed. She gave me a relieved smile. I tried to sit up but Isabelle stopped me.

"You might not want to try that just yet." She suggested.

I tried it anyway. With quite a few moans and groans, I managed. "Oh, I'm going to be sore tomorrow."

"Magnus is back at the Institute," Alec said. "We can have him clean you up."

"Too bad there's not a stronger rune than an iratze for healing." Isabelle said.

"Wait a second." My brain was still functioning through the pain and what she said gave me and idea. "I could just make a stronger rune! Can I see your stele?" I didn't know what had happened to mine, but I knew it was no longer in my pocket. Isabelle handed hers over.

I pushed up my sleeve and closed my eyes. I felt the lines form in my head and then opened my eyes. I began to draw the rune. It was a fairly simple rune and once I was done, I let out a sigh of relief. "That." I said happily, "is wonderful."

I wished that Jace was here to see this. Speaking of Jace…

"Oh, crap." I muttered.

"What?" Isabelle asked confused. "Are you in pain?" I shook my head. The rune I drew had gotten rid of the pain. "What is it then?" Isabelle looked around for the sign of my distress. Alec turned around too, wondering what we had forgotten.

"We left Jace in the closet."

**_Haha. How could they forget the amazing blonde angel and leave him in a closet, you ask? Easy enough. He wasn't being his usual obnoxious self and therefore went unnoticed. Bad Clary, forgetting her boyfriend like that._**


	23. Chapter 23

_**I got CoB and CoA back a few days ago, so I once again have references, and I figured it was about time for another character's point of view again, so this one's got Magnus' POV. –Magnus blows kisses and begins to give a thank you speech-**_

_** Oh, yeah. This one has a few lines from The First Time by Family Force Five in it. (It's the only song I've heard so far by them that I actually like, but I've only heard a few.) I don't own the song.**_

**Clary**

"Help me search him." Isabelle said as if she hadn't heard me. She leaned over the bound demon and began to pat him down.

"Isabelle. Did you not hear me?" I asked incredulously. "We left Jace _unconscious _in his own _closet_."

The dark-haired girl glanced at me and I could tell she was trying not to smile. "We don't really have time for that right now. At least we know he's safe there. Unlike us." She looked pointedly at the bathroom where the portal was still glowing brightly.

"But…" I had a hard time convincing myself to let go of the fact that I left my boyfriend unconscious in a closet. This really had been a hard week. I exhaled heavily. "Let's get to work then." I got to my feet and went to help her.

The guy we now knew was a demon was both bound and gagged. He- it- was lying on the floor unable to move while Isabelle patted him down. If Jace were here, he would have made some crude joke about Isabelle searching the demon. But without him, this whole ordeal was a humorless task. After reaching into the pocket that the demon had stuck whatever it was that it was worried about losing, Isabelle pulled out her hand.

She was clutching something small and silver that even from this distance I could tell was a ring. "Clary." Isabelle said urgently. "That ring that Botis was after. The one you put on. Did it look anything like this?" She held it closer so I could see it.

I stared wide-eyed at the ring in her hand. I couldn't believe it. We had just hit our lucky break.

**Magnus**

I walked through the Institute humming happily. I had spent a full night and a large part of the day with my very favorite Shadowhunter, the delectable Alexander Lightwood. His suggestion that I take a day off had been surprising to say the least, and when he invited me over to the Institute, I was shocked. Despite the fact that he hunted demons for a living, Alec wasn't very fond of confrontation. Usually, I was lucky to get an invitation even when his parents weren't home. So today had been almost blissful.

This whole Greater Demon thing was just a minor setback. I was worried for Alec, of course. I worried any time he was out of my sight, but I had faith that he would be okay. He and the girls, Isabelle and Clary, had just left to go take out the Greater Demon. I wasn't really sure where they were at the moment because I hadn't really been paying attention to the address Alec had given me. I was a little distracted.

I had been kind of busy staring at Alec's butt. It looked great in the pair of jeans I had managed to convince him to wear. I got lucky this morning when after last night he had been in such a good mood that he allowed me to substitute a new pair of jeans for his old ratty ones. Normally, he hid behind dark sweaters and loose jeans, but every now and then I coerced him into letting me dress him up. And let me tell you, that boy looked _fine _once I was done with him. (Not that he didn't look totally adorable before).

Thinking of Alec had become my favorite pastime, and I continued to do it for the next half hour. At least until I realized that I was alone in Alec's house, and his room was just down the hall. "Hmmm," I thought aloud. "What could I possibly do all by my lonesome in Alexander's house?"

I didn't take a High Warlock to figure out where I was going. I made a beeline for Alec's room, only to be stopped by a fat, blue cat. The annoying creature was sitting in Alec's doorway. It hissed at me. I hissed back. The blue animal was nothing like my own cuddly ball of fur, Chairman Meow. For one, this thing was four times bigger that my kitty. For another, it wasn't nice.

All of a sudden, music filled the hallway. _"I've got these memories; they're all of you and me. I've been recording them ever since I was seventeen. I push play back, then rewind. I see us meeting for the very first time." _By the time I fished the phone out of my pocket, I knew who was calling.

"Hello, Allie darling!"

There was a choking noise from the other side of the phone. "Sorry, Magnus." Said Clary. "But this isn't Alec."

"Oh." I tried not to let my disappointment show. Then another thought occurred to me. "Why do you have Alec's phone? Is he okay? Did something happen?"

"Magnus, calm down." She reassured me. "Alec's fine. A little worse for the wear, but he's fine."

"Oh." I repeated, inwardly scolding myself forgetting so worked up. I was seriously losing my edge. The funny thing was that I didn't mind. "Magnus the Magnificent at your service."

"Hey, Magnus." She said, sounding quite chipper for some who had the love of their life cheat on them this past week. "Could you do me a favor?"

"The only way you're getting a favor from Magnus Bane." I replied. "Is if your name is Alec Lightwood. I don't do favors. I also don't do bad hair days, good deeds, werewolves, or evil blue cats."

She laughed. "So you met Church?"

"If Church is the name of the annoying blue creature in Alec's doorway then yes, I met Church." I decided to get rid of the cat the easy way. I snapped my fingers together. "I hope you weren't fond of him."

"_I _wasn't." She confessed. "But I'm not so sure about Alec."

"In that case…" I snapped my fingers together again. "The cat will make reappearance. Though I can't make any guarantees that it will still be blue when you find it." This subject was beginning to bore me. "Speaking of cats… was there any particular reason for this call?"

"That has absolutely nothing to with cats. But yes, as a matter of fact, there was." I could almost picture the red-haired Shadowhunter now. When using her high and mighty voice, she also had a haughty expression. Neither of which worked on me. I was, after all, the High Warlock of Brooklyn, the highest and mightiest of all. Not that I'm conceited.

"I kind of need your help with something." She admitted.

I thought it over. "What do you need and what's in it for me?"

"If you'll agree to do it before you hear it, I'll give you Alec." She offered without hesitating. I heard Alec protest in the background.

I let out a laugh. "Thanks ever so, sweetheart, but I already _have _Alec. Where do think he spent the night last night?"

"Way too much info, Magnus." She complained. I could easily imagine her rolling her eyes. "What I meant was, I will make sure you and Alec get a whole two days to yourselves without any interruptions from myself, Simon, or anyone with the last name Lightwood." She paused for inflection. "_If _you're willing to help me out."

"Now that's a deal I'm willing to consider." I could picture it now. Alec, Chairman Meow, and I all curled up under the covers on my great big bed. Well, maybe not the cat. I hoped he wouldn't be too traumatized spending the night in his kitty carrier. "So what exactly do I have to do again?"

"Ah, ah, ah." Clary scolded. "You have to agree without hearing what you're doing first."

"Five days." I bargained. "And they don't have to be in consecutive order."

"Three." She offered in return.

"Okay, three." I agreed. "Plus, I get to keep anything interesting that I find in here." I looked around Alec's room. It was messy. Unlike Jace's room, it looked lived in and smelled like a combination of Alec and dirty laundry. I was sure I could find something that I wanted to keep from here.

"Done." She said automatically. Belatedly, she realized what she had agreed to.

"Wait, where are you?"

"That is for me to know, and you to never find out." I declared, sitting down on Alec's bed.

"It's not that hard to guess. You wouldn't want anything from Jace's room. So unless you're stealing Isabelle's makeup, you've got to be in Alec's room." That didn't take long. I ignored her and lay back on the bed. I stared up at the ceiling, thinking of Alec again. For only the millionth time today. "Magnus?" Clary called. "You still there?"

"I'm ready for my mission."

"Well…" she seemed reluctant to tell me. "Remember when we were in Jace's room earlier?"

"No."

"Good." I don't think she even heard me. "So remember how we stuck Jace in the closet?" She asked again.

Just to see if she was listening, I said patronizingly, "Of course. Did I tell you that I have decided to forgo all glitter for the next year and a half? Also, Alec and I are getting married. Just thought you should know."

"Good, good." She said absently. "Well, I need you to get Jace out of the closet. And do your best to wake him up. There's probably some spell of something in the Book of White that you can use."

The last thing I wanted to do was save the golden pain in the behind. I thought it might be better for everyone if he just stayed in the closet, but I did love the irony of the situation. "A year ago, Alec wished blondie was in the closet." I laughed. "Now I'm being told to get him out."

"Thanks, Magnus!" Clary said happily. I got the feeling that she hadn't listened to that last sentence either.

**Clary**

I hit the end call button and tossed the phone at Alec. "Heads up." I called. He caught it easily and stuffed the small device into his pocket.

I glanced again at the demon lying bound on the floor. It's unnerving stare was beginning to creep me out. I tried to make my mind focus on other things. Such as my fellow Shadowhunters.

After stuffing his phone back into his pocket, Alec had gone back to leaning against the wall. It was kind of like the whole guys greeting each other with nods, this leaning against the wall thing. Alec did it, Jace did it, and Simon was starting to pick up the habit. Of course, Jace did it more smoothly than either of the other guys could ever hope to, but Alec was looking mighty comfortable himself. As I watched, he fiddled with knife that I had dropped, tossing it into the air and catching it in a way that seemed to be second nature.

"What did Magnus say?" Isabelle asked from her spot across the room. She had righted a chair and was now seated in it with her feet propped on a broken table.

"I don't really know," I replied, trying to remember. I hadn't been paying much attention. "Something about glitter and getting married. Oh, and he mentioned Church."

"Magnus is getting married to Church?" Isabelle asked dubiously. She seemed to mull this over. "They don't really have much in common. Well, except for the fact that they're both cranky sometimes. And they have similar eyes."

Alec and I both looked at her like she was crazy which, knowing Isabelle might not be far from the truth. "I don't think he said he was going to marry the cat, Isabelle." Alec informed his sister presumptuously.

"No, he called Church an evil blue creature. I think he was talking about marrying Alec." I turned to elder Lightwood sibling just in time to see his cheeks flush dark red.

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Isn't that illegal in New York?"

"What _else _did Magnus say?" Alec asked before I could confirm this fact.

"He said that he would get Jace out of the closet and try to wake him up." I told them, as if they hadn't heard that part.

"Yeah, _after_ you decided to use me as a bargaining chip." Alec noted, taking umbrage at being used in such a manner.

"It worked, didn't it?" I retorted. "And don't pretend like you have a problem with it, Alec. You've been dying to have a free day with Magnus and now you have three. Not necessarily in consecutive order, but still." Alec perked up at this new bit of information. "You just have to let Magnus keep whatever he finds in your room if he wants it." I added the last part in a hurried undertone.

"What was that?" Alec asked. "Because I'm sure I heard you wrong. Did you just say you're giving my stuff to Magnus?"

I tried to look adequately contrite. "That was the condition of the deal, and I'm sure he won't take anything important."

Alec gave me one of his signature scowls. "How would you like it if I told Jace he could take whatever he wanted from your room?" He demanded. He crossed his arms over his chest, looking positively hostile.

Isabelle let out a chuckle. "He'd probably empty her underwear drawer and take all of her knives."

"Not funny Isabelle." Alec glared at her.

"Lighten up, Alec." Isabelle chided. "You have a key to the man's house. You can always steal whatever he takes back."

"Besides," I shot Isabelle a grateful look. "Don't you want Jace to wake up?"

If anything, Alec's scowl got even deeper. "Of course." He snapped. "He's my parabatai. But that still doesn't give you the right to-"

"Just because you're gay doesn't give _you_ the right to PMS, Alec." Isabelle interrupted. "If anyone deserves that right, it's me. I'm the pregnant girl."

"So you're going to let her just-" Alec protested only to be cut off again.

"Clary, call Magnus again. Ask him to make another portal, and let him deal with his boyfriend." I couldn't help but smile. That was Isabelle, always bossy, always in charge. Alec was no longer scowling, but he looked as if he might start again anytime. I held out a hand for his phone, which he pulled out and chucked at me, barely missing my head.

"Alec!"

"Oops." He smiled innocently.

**I love Alec. :) He makes me laugh. **


	24. Chapter 24

**Sorry, it's been even longer than usual since I've updated, but school just started back and I decided it was about time to start reading my summer reading books. Fun, right? It's only been three days, and I'm already tired of school.  
**

"Magnus!" I pressed the buzzer over Magnus' name in the entryway of his building again. "Magnus answer your door before I come break it down!" I had been alternately pressing the buzzer and yelling at its owner for the last fifteen minutes. Neither one seemed to be working, but I knew he was here. He had to come out sometime.

Underneath the entryway, Alec and I were safe from the rain that was threatening to drop from the sky. But if the wind picked up, we would both wind up soaked. I hadn't looked at the weather when I dressed today, and my morning of hair straightening had been wasted. It was now curly again because of the stupid humidity. Also, I had worn a white shirt and even though I knew Alec wouldn't be looking, I wasn't looking forward to it getting soaked.

"Clary, calm down." Alec chided. "There's no need to be rude. He's probably just in his closet. It's so big he can't hear anything when he's in there.

I frowned at Alec to let him know that his logic was not appreciated. "What kind of self-respecting man spends twenty minutes in his closet?" I blurted without thinking.

Alec leaned against the wall opposite the one with the buzzers and imitated Jace by rising on eyebrow in disbelief. "You do remember it's Magnus we're talking about, don't you?" We all knew, Alec most of all, that Magnus loved glitter and clothes even more than Isabelle.

Before I could think of a way to defend my momentary lack of thinking, I was interrupted by the sound of a disembodied voice. "Alec?" Magnus' voice came through the intercom by the door hopefully.

"No such luck." I lied. "It's me again."

"What do you want this time?" He asked, sounding only slightly disappointed that I wasn't Alec. "I already agreed to wake up your boyfriend."

"That's what we're here about." Alec put in. "You ju-"

"Allie!" Magnus' voice interrupted before Alec could finish. "It's so nice of you to drop by. I haven't seen you all day! But I thought you would have stopped by earlier, especially considering last night."

I watched Alec's face go a shade darker. "What happened last night?"I asked curiously. Then it occurred to me that maybe I didn't want to know. I had never had any gay friends before Alec, but I knew the basics of how that sort of relationship worked. Thinking this over, I decided that I didn't want to know any more.

Alec gave me a panicked look, but before he could say anything, Magnus' commented, "You would like to know, wouldn't you?"

I gave him a scowl worthy of Alec, knowing it wasted because the warlock couldn't see it. "You know what, never mind. I don't want to know." I flipped my now-curly hair over my shoulder impatiently. "Now are you going to let us in or are you going to make us stand here all afternoon?" I really didn't want to be out here when it started raining.

"Well, if you're going to get an attitude about it then I won't let you in, missy. But Alec on the other hand is always welcome, even if he is only here to talk about blondie." Magnus started and then continued to talk. About halfway through whatever he was saying, I stopped listening. "And _that,_" he finished with his usual flourish, "Is my answer."

"So was that a yes or a no?"

I turned to look at Alec who shrugged indifferently. "I don't know. I just heard a buzz."

Judging by the fact that after Alec spoke, the gate quietly swung open, I assumed that Magnus' answer had been a yes. I sent another nervous look up at the dark clouds hovering on the horizon and followed Alec through the gate to Magnus' apartment. When we made it to the door, Magnus didn't bother to answer it. Alec fumbled around in his pocket searching for his key to the apartment, confirming my suspicions that I was better off not knowing what went on between him and the warlock.

"Magnus?" Alec called into the apartment after pushing the door open. "Where are you?"

"Back here!" Magnus called from down the hall. Alec followed his voice down the hallway. I stopped to look around the room.

I had been in Magnus' apartment many times before but never unattended. The huge loft was almost empty when it came to furniture, just as it had been when I first came here, though that had been for a party. It was a lot cleaner now, and there was a couch in the center of the room. Over all, the loft was kind of boring for it to belong in Magnus' house. Its redeeming feature was the lighting. There were multicolored lights coming from different sources all over the room giving it a colorful, Magnus-like feel.

The lighting was notable, but that wasn't what drew my interest. On a table in the corner of the loft was what looked like a cat carrier. But the strange noises coming from the cage told me that it didn't hold a cat. Upon closer inspection, I realized that the creature in the cat carrier was some type of bird. It had bright scarlet feathers and a long beak. The bird was obviously not happy with its quarters. As I watched, its protests began to get louder and louder until I was sure they would draw Magnus from the back of the apartment. When it let out a particularly loud squawk, a burst of flame came from its throat.

"Nasty creatures, those." I jumped at the sound of Magnus' voice behind me.

"What is it?" I asked curiously. I leaned closer for a better look but made sure not to get in the bird's firing range.

Magnus let out a contemptuous snort. "It's a phoenix, of course."

I lifted my eyes from the bird to the warlock. "Really? Like in the Harry Potter books?"

Magnus' expression took on a haughty air. "I wouldn't know. I don't read mundane books." I decided not to remind him that he had a stack of mundie books on the couch a few feet away. I just looked at him. "Fine, they're a lot like the ones in those mundane books. Except they don't like people."

"But they do spontaneously combust every five hundred or so years and are reborn from their own ashes?" I asked interestedly. I had known that creatures like vampires, werewolves, and fairies existed, but I had never thought of other less human mythical creatures such as this one.

"Yes. I'm keeping this one for a friend of mine who makes a living taming them." Magnus looked at the bird dispassionately. "Sparky there already burned my favorite pair of rainbow pants to a crisp. I thought about sending him to Antarctica for punishment, but my friend pays extremely well. In the end, I decided that the bird wasn't worth it."

"I don't know about that," I joked. "Your rainbow pants deserve to be avenged."

"Yes, they do. It took me hours to find that particular pair." He grinned at me conspiratorially. "And I wore them on my third date with Alec after we were officially dating. That was definitely a memorable excursion. We went out and after that, we came back here and…" the spiky-haired, glittery warlock seemed to realize who he was talking to. "Suffice it to say that we solidified our relationship."

Taken aback by this overload of information at what I had meant to be a joke, I was unsure how to respond. Luckily, I was saved by the entrance of the subject of our conversation. "What are you guys talking about?" Alec asked. I couldn't tell, but I thought his expression was wary.

Magnus' grin took on a sly quality. "You, of course. You know you're my favorite subject, darling."

His comment was rewarded with a blush. Magnus enjoyed making Alec blush as much as Jace enjoyed killing things or teasing me. As if making the younger man blush wasn't enough, Magnus continued. "Clary and I were just talking about my pants."

"Pants?" Alec asked. This time I was sure that his tone was wary. He was visibly wondering what he had in common with Magnus' pants.

"Yes, dear." Magnus said. "You know what pants are, don't you Alec? Coverings made of fabric for your legs."

Alec frowned. "I know what pants are, Magnus."

"Good." Magnus said grinning. "We were talking about my favorite rainbow pants. You know, the ones I wore the night we, ah, made sure we were compatible in _every_ aspect of our relationship." Magnus grinned evilly. "I wasn't wearing them at that time of course, but when I picked you up."

Alec's face went from pink to tomato red and his scowl deepened. "_Magnus_." He hissed. "Can I talk to you for a minute? Over there." He gestured randomly behind him towards a coat closet.

"Why ever would you want to talk to me in a closet, Alec darling?" Magnus asked innocently, just a hint of his evil grin still apparent on his face.

"Just come on." Alec grabbed Magnus' sleeve and pulled him in the direction of the coat closet. I heard their voices murmuring quietly and waited for them to show. After a minute, the voices were sounding less angry, but they still didn't come out of the coat closet. A small mouse-like tabby cat I hadn't noticed before jumped off of the couch and landed at my feet.

I reached down to pet the little bundle of fur, more for something to do than anything else. Chairman Meow's little body rumbled with a purr as he pushed his face against my hand. He strutted in a circle around me before once again pushing his face into my hand. I heard a loud thump that reminded me that Magnus and Alec were still in the closet. I looked around for the source of the noise only to realize that it had come from the closet.

I really didn't want to know what they were doing in there, but I also didn't want to sit out here listening. The cat forgotten, I moved towards the closet. I reached up to bang on the door loudly, making sure to get their attention first. Without dragging it out further, I threw open the door. Only to quickly jump out of the way as Alec came tumbling out and landed on his butt.

Magnus and I both burst out laughing as Alec just sat there for a minute before he stood and brushed himself off. I was surprised when I didn't get a glare from him. As I looked on, he shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably looking everywhere but at Magnus and me. Magnus on the other hand seemed to be in even better spirits than he had when Alec had pulled him into the closet.

"Now that you two are done, can we get down to business?" I asked.

Magnus looked petulant. "But I liked the way things were going," he grumbled. "Or I did up until you opened the door."

He turned to look at Alec who was obviously still uncomfortable. The dark haired shadowhunter was leaning against the wall again. This time, he looked much less comfortable there. "We did come here for a reason, you know." He reminded his boyfriend. "One that didn't have anything to do with kissing or rainbow pants."

Magnus looked at his boyfriend skeptically as if he knew kissing was exactly the reason Alec had come here, but he played along, "What was that reason, exactly?" He asked. "You never got around to telling me."

"We just came to see if you had made any progress when it came to Jace." Alec told the warlock. "You kind of disappeared before we made it back to the Institute and we just wondered…"

"Actually, we came because Alec was worried when we didn't see you after we made it back to the Institute." I interrupted.

"I was not!" Alec objected loudly.

"Aww, that's so sweet." Magnus smirked, ignoring Alec. "You deserve a kiss."

He leaned over a kissed Alec on the cheek. Despite his earlier protests, the shadowhunter didn't pull away. Not even when Magnus kissed him again on the lips. Pulling Alec closer to him, Magnus deepened the kiss heatedly.

"Um," I cleared my throat loudly. "I'm still here!"

They pulled away from each other, and Magnus winked in my direction. "You know you liked it."

"Um, no." I told him seriously. "I didn't."

"Don't lie to yourself, Clarissa." Magnus replied with a smirk. "I'm a great kisser and Alec's not too shabby either." Alec looked offended. He opened his mouth to protest this piece of information, probably to say that he was much better than 'not too shabby', but before he could I interrupted.

"All I have to say is that's gross." I made a face. "If you two want to have a make out session, please do it somewhere where I can't hear you."

Magnus smiled slyly. "Are you sure you think its gross, Clarissa?" I recognized that tone of voice. Some sort of taunt was coming next. "Because I've been around for a long time, and I happen to know that quite a few girls think it's hot."

"Of course I don't think… that." I told him. I couldn't bring myself to meet his eyes, because I knew it sounded as if the first person I needed to convince was myself. "And I was serious about that, too. If you want to make out with Alec, that's fine. You just don't have to do it in public."

Magnus eyed me for a minute before saying candidly. "This is my house, sweetheart. I can do whatever I want here." He looked pointedly at me. "I can tell pushy redheaded girls that they should watch their mouths." He smiled to himself before adding, "I can also kiss my boyfriend whenever I feel like it."

So saying, he leaned over and planted one on Alec. It was a while before they came up for air, but when they did, Magnus looked pointedly at me, awaiting my response.

I rolled my eyes. "You two should be neutered."

"No thanks," Magnus replied glibly. "I happen to like my male parts, and so does Alec."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes again.


	25. Chapter 25

_**Ta da! New chapter.  
**_

"Since Alec is so concerned," Magnus said, frowning disapprovingly at his boyfriend. "I did happen to make some headway in the process of waking Jace."

"Really?" I asked eagerly. Magnus smiled indulgently at the excited expression I knew was on my face. "What did you do?"

"Follow me." He said mysteriously and turned on his heel to walk out of the room. Alec and I shared a confused glance before turning to follow him.

He led us into his bedroom. Alec sank easily down onto a Papasan chair almost as purple as the walls in Rivera's office, proving just how comfortable he was in Magnus' house. Magnus meanwhile was digging through a pile of clothes tossed haphazardly on his canary-yellow sheets. While he dug, he muttered something unintelligible under his breath.

"Aha!" He crowed, straightening up. "Found it." He held the object he had been searching for up for our inspection.

"That's a book." I pointed out helpfully.

"Yes." Magnus agreed. "And that's Alec and that's a chair. Are you done now?"

"Excuse me." I muttered sarcastically, but he was already talking again.

"You of all people should recognize this book, Clary." Magnus continued. Pushing a pile of clothes out of the way, he sat down on his bed and laid the book beside him. "You're the one who gave it to me." It was then that it dawned on me that the book he was holding was none other than the Book of White.

"I take it that's the elusive Book of White?" Alec inquired, propping his feet on Magnus' bed. I had a feeling that if anyone else tried that, they would be reprimanded by the warlock.

"The one and only," agreed Magnus. "Just like me."

"So you found a spell to fix Jace?" I asked. "Let's g-"

Magnus cast his eyes toward the ceiling. "Magnus the Magnificent was speaking." He said as if he were talking to a child.

I narrowed my eyes at him frustratedly and snapped, "Magnus the Magnificent can go screw himself."

"Now, now, little shadowhunter." Magnus admonished superciliously. "Is that anyway to talk to the only person who can save the love of your life?"I frowned at him but didn't reply. I knew Magnus wasn't one for idle threats.

Alec, who had been silent during this whole exchange, spoke up, "So what did you find?"

Magnus glanced fondly at him before saying, "A spell." From the way he was looking at Alec now, I knew that he was thinking of the prize he would get if he held up his end of the bargain. "I found a spell that _may _wake Jace up. If it works, it will also prevent the demon from possessing him again."

"What do you need to do the spell?" Alec asked as he pushed his dark hair out of his eyes.

Magnus graced him with a smile. "You can leave that to me. It is part of my job after all." They continued on in this vein for a few minutes, half flirting and half discussing the spell.

"Wait," I interrupted as something occurred to me. "You said _if _it works. What happens if the spell doesn't work?"

"Worst case scenario?" Magnus inquired. "Jace stays the way he is now. Permanently." The relieved smile disappeared from Alec's face, and I knew my expression mirrored his. Seeing our unease, Magnus was quick to reassure us. "But it's only a moderately difficult spell, so nothing should go wrong. Don't worry. I do spells like this one all the time."

"Have you ever actually tried this spell before?" I asked warily, not really wanting to know the answer.

Magnus met my eyes as he said, "No, but I have a seventy-five percent success rate with spells I haven't tried before, and I get almost all of the leftover twenty-five percent right the second time."

"Magnus!" I cried loudly. "You won't get two tries on Jace!"

"Which is why I'm going to be especially careful with this case." He assured me. I didn't know how he and Alec could both look so clam. This was _Jace _we were talking about, not some random customer that hired Magnus for help. "I need to know as much about Jace's condition as I can." Magnus looked back and forth from me to Alec.

I was still in shock from the idea that I might never see Jace, the real Jace, again. My last real memory of him would be him being taken over by Botis. I barely even heard Alec begin his explanation of this whole thing was started.

I was drawn back into the conversation as I heard Magnus say, "What about the demon you caught today? Did you learn anything from him?"

Alec shook his head. "We couldn't get him to budge even under interrogation. We're not going to get any information out of him; he's more afraid of Botis than he is of anything we could do."

"We know he works for Botis though," I put in. "When we first saw him, he was muttering about what Botis would do if he lost the ring."

"What did you do with him?" Magnus asked curiously.

"We have him locked in a cage like the Inquisitor did to Jace, and Isabelle was assigned to watch him." Alec explained easily. Magnus seemed to think this over for a moment.

"What I don't understand," he mused. "Is why Botis trusted this random lesser demon with a ring powerful enough to help him win a demon war."

Alec looked pensive for a moment before he answered. "That's what I thought too, because no Greater Demon would give that kind of power to anyone besides itself. None that I know of anyway, but then Clary suggested that Botis may have believed that the lesser demon was so terrified of him that it wouldn't give the ring up unless it was defeated."

"Well, he was right." Magnus pointed out.

"And that totally doesn't help us." I replied.

"We have the ring now," Alec said. "That has to count for something. We also have the Book of Shadows. And a spell that could possible save Jace's life." I refrained from saying that it could also make Jace brain dead.

"And we all have Isabelle's lovely cooking to look forward to," Magnus said, playing along with Alec's attempt to steer things in a more cheerful direction.

"But we still don't know what Botis knows." I persisted in pointing out. "For all we know, Jace could have been the demon's personal camera the whole time. It could know everything."

"No." Magnus shot my nervous statement down. "Because if it knew everything, it would be after the Book of Shadows by now."

I sighed. "Without Jace here to help, we all suck at this dealing with demon stuff." I missed Jace once again, as I had been doing for days.

"I don't suck." Alec objected. "I'm good!"

"At what?" Magnus retorted. "Honey, I hate to be the one to have to tell you this, but that outfit is so last year. And chapstick doesn't count as makeup. Though from the looks of it, you don't even use that." Magnus shook his head at Alec's apparent hopelessness. "Now when are you going to let me give you a makeover?"

Alec frowned at the change in subject. "How about never?" He replied. "Is never good for you?" They argued so easily that I knew they had been over this subject many times before.

"Objection noted." Magnus smiled mischievously and clapped his hands together twice.

Without even moving, Alec ended up across the room tied to the chair at Magnus' vanity table. "Magnus!" He shouted. "Untie me now!" Magnus was grinning at his disgruntled boyfriend. I smiled too, and the seriousness that pervaded the air only moments ago was all but forgotten.

"Hmmm…" Magnus pretended to think about it. "No, I don't think I will."

Alec glared at him. "Once I get out of here, I'm going to kill you."

"You would never do that." Magnus told him. "You love me too much." The warlock was no longer reclining leisurely on his bed. Instead, he had gotten to his feet and was moving steadily closer to Alec. Alec, in turn, was eying the sparkly warlock with a mix of anger and wariness on his face.

"Why would I love you after you tied me to a chair?" Alec demanded. I figured I wasn't the only one to notice that he was avoiding passing judgment on Magnus' statement.

Magnus grinned and said cheekily, "Because I _know _you, Alec." He trailed a hand down Alec's chest in a way that made me think this was a private moment that I probably shouldn't be seeing. "I _really _know you."

The brightly clothed man seated himself in Alec's lap, receiving only a glare for his efforts. He leaned over to whisper something in Alec's ear, all the while stroking his chest. Alec stopped struggling with his bonds. I blinked uncomfortably, wondering if they had forgotten all about me. I took a few steps back, wondering if I should leave the room.

This went on for some time, and I was beginning to wonder if Magnus had forgotten about giving Alec a makeover. Almost as if on cue, the warlock said out loud, "Oh, don't worry, sweetheart, I haven't forgotten the reason I tied you to the chair." He stood and turned to face the vanity table. "Though I'd love to tie you to the chair for an entirely different reason as well."

That was when I decided it was time to leave the room. Magnus and Alec had forgotten all about me and from the way things were going, they wouldn't remember for a while. I let myself out of the apartment with a parting glance at Magnus' brightly colored phoenix and set off down the street. I thought about taking the subway home, but it was a long ride. I decided instead to take a cab.

It didn't take me long to flag one down and soon, the cab driver and I were speeding towards the Institute. The cab was silent. No music was coming from the radio, and the cabbie stared at the road silently, leaving me alone with my thoughts. Originally, I had meant to go back to Luke's, but my mom would likely ask me questions I was in no mood to answer. She liked to feel involved in my life, and normally, I let her. But I was still uncomfortable thinking about Jace, much less saying what had happened out loud.

Better to go to the Institute, even though the only one there was Isabelle. Yes, that seemed like a much better idea. Maybe I could even convince her to come with me to grab a bite to eat from Taki's. As I was thinking, I realized I was unconsciously playing with the ring on the string around my neck. It felt surprisingly light and with a jolt of realization, I realized that it was not the Morgenstern ring that usually hung around my neck.

I felt the Morgenstern ring, heavy and large beside this small and delicate one, so I knew I hadn't misplaced it. The question was, how had the silver, jewel-encrusted ring ended up around my neck? I gazed at it searchingly, as if it would provide the answers I was looking for. To my dismay, nothing was forthcoming.

The only plausible answer I could think of would be that since I had worn the ring, it was somehow connected to me. Legends said that this very same ring had the power to control minds. How could something so small and dainty be so destructive and evil? I had to admit I was curious. What would happen if I tried it on again? The legends mentioned nothing about the ring changing shape when it changed owners. I wondered what else they had failed to mention. This ring could have some good power too, and no one would ever know.

"Miss…. Miss!" The cabbie said loudly, bringing me back to reality. I hadn't even realized that he had been trying to get my attention for the past few minutes.

"Sorry." I said absently. I handed him some money and climbed out of the car.

After the cab had driven away, I stood immobile on the sidewalk in front of the Institute. I was still consumed by the idea of trying on the ring. The ring might not have to be an item of mass destruction. For all I knew, it could save lives. There was only one way to find out, I reasoned. I slipped the ring onto my finger.

_**Ooh, what's going to happen with Clary and the ring? Will Magnus be able to fix Jace? I'm not even gonna ask about Alec and Magnus, we all know what they're going to do.**_


	26. Chapter 26

_**This didn't turn out quite like I planned when I was writing it, but then again, they never do. **__**It has a little bit of Simon/Isabelle but no Malec. While I had fun writing it, I have to admit that Alec and Magnus are probably the most fun to write together.  
**_

_I was still consumed by the idea of trying on the ring. The ring might not have to be an item of mass destruction. For all I knew, it could save lives. There was only one way to find out, I reasoned. I slipped the ring onto my finger._

I stood on the side walk waiting for something to happen. I waited. And waited. Nothing.

I stared down at the silver band glinting in the sun and focused on making it do something. I didn't really care what, I just wanted it to work. Still nothing. Maybe I had to give it some sort of command to make it work, I mused, because standing out here in front of the Institute waiting for something to happen was getting me nowhere.

Hmm… how could I test it? According to the legends, its only power was complete control of someone's mind, be it mundane, Downworlder, Shadowhunter, or demon. I had no inclination to try mind control at the moment and no subject to try it on even if I had the inclination. I could always try some other mind-related power. Telekinesis would be cool. Maybe even some minor form of telepathy.

"Clary?" someone called loudly, interrupting my train of thought. "Clary, what are you doing out here?"

The past week's events had caused me to be paranoid. As soon as I heard the voice, my hand flew to the knife at my belt. I looked around wildly, belatedly noticing the tall, raven-haired girl standing in the Institute doorway. The sight of Isabelle calmed me down, and I relaxed a little. But I made sure to keep my left hand hidden from her view. I couldn't let her see that I was wearing the ring; I knew intuitively that Isabelle wouldn't approve of my tampering with such an evil object.

"Clary?" She asked again. She waited impatiently for a response.

I stuck my hand in my pocket to the hide the ring before answering. "I'm fine." I reassured her. "Just a little… preoccupied."

She eyed me doubtfully for a moment before saying, "Is that why you've been standing out here staring into space?"

"Of course." I told her. Honestly, I was preoccupied with the ring so it's not like I was lying.

She obviously wanted to say more, but in the end, she just shook her head. "Whatever, Clary," was all she said. "You're entitled to your weird moments. The Angel knows we all have them."

I tried to hold in a grateful sigh. Alec and Jace both would have pressed the issue, and I was thankful that Isabelle was the one standing in front of me. I was even more grateful when she held open the door for me and without another word ushered me into the building.

I followed her silently down the hallway, knowing her silence would only last so long. Sure enough, by the time we were almost to the kitchen, Isabelle was chatting animatedly. I only half-listened as she went on about some new pair of shoes she had gotten on sale today.

Soon, she stopped talking about shoes and went onto another topic instead. "I got bored after I got back from shopping, so I decided to do some cooking. I figured you and Alec were going to be coming back to eat, and I hoped Magnus was too." She stopped here for a breath. "But I'm guessing Alec stayed behind at Magnus' for a little… male bonding?"

"I guess you could call it that." I cracked a smile. "Last time I saw them, Magnus had Alec tied to a chair and was planning to put makeup on him."

"I would pay to see that," Isabelle laughed. She shook her head. "If Alec is wearing makeup, the world must be coming to an end." As she spoke, she led me into the kitchen. While her back was turned, I took the ring off and shoved it in my pocket.

When I didn't say anything, she turned back to look at me. "For a while I thought you weren't even coming back in time for supper," She continued. "So I invited Simon over. I know you'll be okay with that, because he's your best friend and all."

I knew that she was talking more to fill up empty space than because she felt that I needed to know this. Isabelle had spent her whole life surrounded by people. Jace, Alec, Max, her parents, and even Hodge were always around any time she needed them growing up. Now, she was practically alone. Hodge and Max were dead, Jace was in a coma, her parents were in Idris, Alec was always preoccupied with Magnus, and even Simon had school and his band and Maia while Isabelle was left here to go on as she always did.

"You are okay with that, right?" she asked. The concerned look on her flawless face made me feel guilty for lying to her earlier about the ring.

"Yeah, about that," I started. I wasn't sure how to get out of eating whatever toxic meal she had prepared today, but I was going to try my best.

She frowned confusedly at me. "If you don't want Simon to be here, I guess I can-"

"No, it's not that." I assured her quickly. "It's just that I'm not really in the mood for a full meal. I was kind of hoping that we could just grab something from Taki's and call it a night."

"Oh." I was surprised when Isabelle didn't sound the faintest bit disappointed at my rejection of her cooking. Instead, she had the opposite reaction. "I'm okay with that." She perked up a bit.

Less than thirty minutes later, we were sitting in a booth at Taki's waiting for Simon to show up. Isabelle had already called him to alert him to our change in plans. Even after being a vampire for a year, Simon still wasn't ready to tell his parents about the change. He told me that his parents had once attributed his lack of appetite and other changes to his getting over me. Now however, they just thought Simon was trying to impress Isabelle.

In the relatively loud atmosphere of the buzzing restaurant, I waited for Isabelle to say something. She had said almost nothing since we walked into Taki's and now she was studying me. The way she was looking at me was more than a little disconcerting. Finally, she broke the silence by saying, "What was the real reason you were standing outside of the Institute earlier today?"

I don't know what I was expecting her to say, but that wasn't it. "Nothing." I said quickly. It was a knee-jerk reaction and I regretted it almost as soon as I it came out. I quickly tried to cover it up. "Umm…" I began. My mind raced as I tried to think of an answer that would satisfy Isabelle's much warranted curiosity. "I was just, uh, getting some sun."

She didn't look like she believed me, so I added, "You know, with everything that's been going on lately, I haven't had any time at all to just relax." Isabelle looked at me like I was losing my mind, and I had to admit that I deserved the look. No one stood on a street corner in New York just to relax.

All at once, the confused look on Isabelle's face cleared. "Oh," she said suddenly. "I understand now."

It was my turn to be confused. "What exactly do you understand?" I asked warily.

She gave me a sympathetic smile. "You must be so worried about Jace." Earlier, I had told her what happened at Magnus'. I told her about how Magnus had found a spell that could work, but there was a small possibility that Jace wouldn't wake up. Instead of telling her the truth, I decided I'd let her believe this white lie. Like what I had told her earlier, it wasn't technically a lie. I _was_ worried about Jace, but that wasn't the cause of my preoccupation.

"Yes," I agreed readily and truthfully. "It's so hard, thinking he might not wake up."

"I know how you feel," Isabelle smiled sadly. He was her family too. "It's like Max all over again."

I knew Isabelle well enough to know that she was tough. She could make it through anything, and if it hurt her, she wasn't going to let it keep her down. The only exception to this so far was Max's death, Isabelle blamed herself and that wasn't something she could just get over. I only knew about the breakdowns she had experienced during this time from Simon. She had kept her pain hidden even from her family, letting only the outsider, the newly made vampire see what was going on inside.

Of course, I wasn't supposed to know any of this, so I tried to change the subject. "Yeah, it makes me sad." I nodded sympathetically. "But sometimes, I just feel so angry. Not at Jace, of course, just the world in general."

"You know, I think the older we get, the more lost we are." Isabelle gave me another rueful smile. She was dressed to perfection, and her makeup looked as if it was just applied, but something about her looked a little lost. I guess it was hard going from teenage heart breaker to teenage mommy-to-be."But little kids, they have it all figured out."

I had no idea where she was going with this, so I asked curiously, "How so?"

"We would all be a lot better off if we stuck to the fundamental five year-old belief that boys have cooties."She laughed, the sadness of the moment before behind us but not forgotten. "I remember I went through a phase when I was little where my motto was, 'Boys are stupid; throw rocks at them'."

"Who are we throwing rocks at?" Simon interrupted. I hadn't noticed him standing behind Isabelle until he spoke up. Something about being a vampire had given him a new talent of sneaking up on people, a talent he was very fond of. But talent or no talent, he had only caught the end of our conversation.

Isabelle and I both turned to look at him, and then we turned to look at each other. "You, apparently." I told him with a straight face.

Simon didn't rise to the bait as he would have a year ago. "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." He replied easily, sliding into the booth beside Isabelle.

Isabelle tossed her hair over her shoulder and smiled coyly at him. "Well, we all know I'm out."

The usual waitress, Kaelie wasn't in today. Instead, a heavily muscled Ifrit came to take out order. He arrived just in time to hear Isabelle and Simon's exchange. He smiled at Isabelle flirtatiously and swiped a lock of blonde hair off his forehead. "You can throw stones at me any day, sweetheart."

Simon shot the Ifrit a dirty look that wasn't missed by Isabelle. In an equally flirtatious tone, she replied. "Sorry, hot stuff, but I'm taken." She cuddled up to Simon as she said it, leaving no room for doubt as to who she was taken by.

"Too bad." The blonde Ifrit replied. "My name is Dorian. Feel free to call me when you're single."

Isabelle didn't bat an eyelash. "I don't plan on being single." She declared. The tension in Simon's body eased a fraction with her statement. He and I both realized what she meant; though I was pretty sure Dorian missed it. The way Isabelle said it; she didn't mean that she didn't plan on being single in the near future. If she was serious, she meant that she didn't plan on ending her relationship with Simon. Ever.

"Aren't you supposed to be taking our orders?" Simon asked. As our waiter did so, I felt the tension between Isabelle and Simon ebb away.

As Dorian was walking away with our orders, Isabelle called after him. "It never would have worked, anyway. Not while I was pregnant with someone else's baby." This got quite a few stares from surrounding tables, but Isabelle ignored them. She smiled at Simon, and it was the first time I had ever seen her look truly happy about having a baby.

I knew it couldn't last. I was right, because that was about the time that the morning sickness began.

"I have cupcakes!" Isabelle announced loudly as she strode into the kitchen the next day.

I didn't know how someone who had been puking their guts out thirty minutes ago could be so cheerful while I felt about as far from cheerful as I could get. Something about spending time with Simon yesterday had brightened Isabelle up, apart from her trip to the bathroom where I heard her cursing his name.

"Cupcakes?" I said hopefully. Isabelle had screwed up the coffee and it was too strong even for me. If I couldn't have caffeine, sugar was the next best thing. Isabelle laid the box on the counter. I reached forward to grab a cupcake, but she swatted my hand away.

"Not yet." She insisted. "We have to wait for Alec."

"But he's at Magnus' house!" I objected. I stared longingly at the box of blue frosted cupcakes as Isabelle held them just out of reach.

"No he's not." She said. "He's here. And he's awake. He'll be down in a minute. Go ahead and eat the other stuff."

I sighed and went back to what I had been doing before Isabelle waltzed into the kitchen, staring at the table. After what seemed like an hour, but in reality was probably minutes, Alec came through the door.

He sat down beside me, and grabbed a plate. He made no effort to say hello to either of us, instead, he shoveled food in his mouth. "What's wrong with him?" I asked Isabelle, because she was usually an expert on these things.

"He can hear you." Alec told me. He brought his head up and met my eyes. Taking one look at his face, I bit my lip to keep from laughing out loud. Alec's face was transformed. With the black eyeliner, mascara, and eye shadow, among other things, he looked feminine. But only a little. The makeup enhanced his already stunning bright blue eyes and made him look slightly less frowned up.

"Nice face, Alec." Isabelle laughed. He only glared. He tossed his plate in the trash, muttering something about stupid gay hedgehogs and their stupid magic makeup.

"Can I have a cupcake now?" I asked Isabelle.

She scooped the box up and held it against her chest. "I have the cupcakes; I make the rules." She said, wielding the box like a weapon.

"Call me when we're allowed to have cupcakes." Alec called as he left the room.

Almost as soon as he walked out of the room, Isabelle doubled over. She managed to grab a bowl and hiss a few words, one rhyming with duck another with bit, before she let go of the contents of her stomach. I wanted to close my eyes and cover my ears at the disgusting noises coming from my friend. Instead, I walked over to her and pulled her hair out the way as she finished.

"Come on, Izzy." I took her hand and led her to a chair to sit down. I placed the bowl on the kitchen counter, not wanting to be the one to have to clean it out. "Alec!" I called. "Come here."

Less than a minute later, he hurried through the door. "What's wrong?" he asked.

"Isabelle has morning sickness." I informed him. I motioned to his sister who still looked slightly queasy.

Alec sent her a worried glance and was silent for a minute before he said, "Does this mean we don't get cupcakes?"

_** I have a feeling all of you will like the next chapter! (Hint, hint)**_


	27. Chapter 27

_**I just read Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins) and Vanished (Kate Brian), so I was like high on amazing books. Then, I realized that the Clockwork Angel was out! (I know, I'm slow) But now I'm reading that. Plus, I get to go out on my uncle's boat for Labor Day. I'm just in an all around good mood. :) And that is what is resulting in the next update of my story.**_

**Clary**

"Do you have any plans for today?" Jocelyn asked me as I ate breakfast. I knew that she was worried because I was spending so much time at the Institute, and almost none at home. For the last week I had alternately hunted demons, looked for more information on Botis with Alec and Izzy, and helped Magnus prepare the spell to wake Jace. I wanted to tell her everything that was going on, but then she would want to get involved and I couldn't let that happen.

So I let her stay in the blissful state of bride-to-be and said only, "The usual."

"Oh." Her face fell. "I was hoping that we could spend the day together."

I pushed away the twinge of guilt I felt for turning her down and ate the last of my pancakes. "Sorry mom," I said sincerely. Then I proceeded to lie my butt off. "It's just that I promised Jace I'd help him with this Shax demon he's been trying to catch."

Jocelyn smiled nostalgically and I knew she was remembering her days as a shadowhunter. "I killed a few of those in my day." She said as Luke walked into the kitchen. He gave her a peck on the cheek as he went to fix his morning coffee.

"A few?" He snorted. "We took out a whole nest of them once." Seeming to realize the implications of why would be discussing Shax demons, he added, "Are you and the Lightwoods planning to take one out?"

"Me and Jace." I lied. I hated lying to them. At any moment, I expected one of them to call me out, but they both went about their business as if everything was fine. And I guess for the two of them, everything was.

"Be sure to take a Seraph blade." Luke told me. He had taken on the role as my father years ago, and apparently this included lecturing me on the proper way to do my job. "Shax demons are-"

"Yeah, yeah." I cut him off. "I know. Jace gave me a Seraph blade the other day."

"Because if you don't," Luke continued as if I hadn't interrupted. "Those suckers are really hard to kill. And their blood dissolves regular blades."

While he was talking , I got up and made my way to the door. "Thanks, Luke!" I called over my shoulder as I left the room.

From behind me, I heard my mom call out "I love you!" But I was already gone.

Once I was outside, I sat down on the sidewalk listening to the sounds of the city. I could hear the sound of a motorcycle a few blocks away. I could see people walking and hear honking horns. At random places around the city, there were signs that advertised the fact that if you honked your horn, you owed a $350 fine. But in a city like New York, no one paid any attention.

I was in no hurry to get to the Institute. Isabelle was an early riser, but if I got there early, I would be expected to eat her food. That was not going to happen. It was a weekday, so Simon would be at school. Both Luke and my mom had encouraged me to go back to school, but I saw no point because I already knew what I wanted to do with my life, and it didn't require schooling. So I decided to study with the Lightwoods instead.

Jocelyn and Luke didn't approve of this, but they also didn't stop me. I missed seeing Simon every day, but not enough to subject myself to eight hours of torture every day. Especially when I could be using these hours to do something beneficial like killing demons. Or sleeping.

Almost as if he had heard my thought, Simon appeared on the street in front of me. "Hey, Fray!" He called out.

"What's up, Lewis?" I said in reply. "Skipping school?"

It was amazing how much more confident Simon had become since his transformation into a vampire. He was no longer the awkward youth of a year ago. "I have a surprise for you." He told me. I looked up expectantly and he motioned for me to follow him.

"Where are we going?" I asked curiously. We walked down the block and turned a corner.

I saw a motorcycle parked on the street; probably the same one I had heard earlier. Simon stopped in front of it. "Right here." He informed me. I looked at him blankly. Seeing my confusion, he decided to elaborate. He pointed at the bike and said, "What do you think?"

I looked from him to the motorcycle and back. "It's yours?"

"Yeah," He said proudly. "I got it off Raphael."

"It's yours?" I repeated dumbly. Simon was just about the last guy on earth that I could picture owning a bike like that.

"Yes, Clary." Simon talked slowly as if I was a five year old.

It was obviously a vampire bike; the kind that ran off of demon energies. I had seen Jace ruin the engine of one once by pouring holy water into the tank. Then again, he had taken me for a ride on one, too. I didn't know much about motorcycles, but I knew that Raphael was the leader of the vampires. If Simon had gotten it from Raphael, it was probably a good one.

"It looks…" I tried to think of a suitable adjective. "… Nice."

Simon knew me well enough to see through that lie. "It's more than nice, Clary. This bike is like, the vampire equivalent of a Harley Davidson."

"Oh." I pretended to know what a Harley Davidson was. "That's good, right?"

Simon gave me a condescending look. "It's okay, I love you anyway." A year ago, that comment would have thrown me, because a year ago he had confessed that he was in love with me. Now that he was with Isabelle, we used the words often, just as friends.

"So," He said abruptly. "You're going to the Institute, right?" I nodded. "You wanna try it out?"

**Alec**

I rolled over sleepily and came to an abrupt stop as I hit something solid. "Umph." I let out a noise. Unlike Magnus' king sized bed, my own was too small to hold me and whatever the object in the bed with me was. I shoved at it sleepily.

The object let out a moan and I realized it wasn't an object at all but a person. "Five more minutes, Alec!" Magnus' voice emanated from the bed beside me. Ignoring his protests, I continued to push at the hard muscles of his chest. All of the sudden, his weight gave way and I heard a loud thump followed by a curse. "Ow! Alexander, that hurt!" I could only assume that he had fallen off of the bed.

Ah. I had the bed to myself at last. As I stretched across it, I felt my eyelids closing again and I fell back into a dreamless sleep. "Alexander!" Magnus's voice cut through my catatonic state. "If I can't sleep then you can't either."

I peeked one eye open. Magnus was nowhere to be found. Sighing happily, I turned on my back. "Oh no you don't." He reprimanded as he lifted himself effortlessly from the floor. "A word of advice, Alexander. If you would like to stay asleep, don't give me such evidence that you're glad to see me."

Almost involuntarily, I felt my eyes open as I glanced down only to be met with clear evidence as to what I had been dreaming about. My boxers did little to cover this issue. I couldn't remember much about the dream, only that it had starred Magnus doing some very… interesting things involving chocolate and scanty clothing.

"Aha!" Magnus cried triumphantly. What caused him to be triumphant this early in the morning was beyond me. Needless to say, I was not a morning person. "You are awake, you bed hog."

Once I convinced myself to wake up, I always loved seeing Magnus first thing in the morning. Without the makeup, glitter, and fancy clothing, he looked absolutely adorable. It felt great to know I was the only one he trusted enough to see him like this. Wearing his silk pajama bottoms and no shirt, his dark un-styled hair falling naturally over his cat-like eyes, he looked real as opposed to the larger than life look he normally sported.

"What?" He asked self-consciously. "Do I have something on my face?"

"No, of course not." I said. I blinked to clear the sleep out of my eyes. Magnus always looked impeccable. Even after sleeping two-to-a-bed in a bed made for one, he looked bright-eyed. I knew he didn't like being complimented when he thought he looked dismal, but I couldn't resist. "You look great. Almost like-"

"If you finish that sentence, I may just have to hurt you." Magnus growled.

I managed a sleepy half-grin. "Promises, Promises."

He frowned at me and I felt my eyes begin to drift closed again. "Are you going to get up or just lie there?" He asked curiously. "Because if you want to stay in bed, I can think of much better things to do than sleep."

I lifted one eyelid to see him reclining on the bed next to me. "What time is it?" I ignored his proposition and opened my eyes. Despite his boasting, I figured that, like me, he was probably still sore from last night.

"Do I look like a clock to you?" he asked irritably. "I come with many talents. Time-telling is not one of them."

"Let me guess," I said dryly. "Your talent in bed is one of the best."

Magnus's cat eyes met my own with a lazy grin. "Second to none." He said with just a touch of conceit. "I could demonstrate if you like."

"Yes," I readily agreed. "I think a demonstration is in order."

He proceeded to kiss me. I felt the bed shift in weight as he leaned over me, covering my mouth with his own. I slid my hands over his chest, reveling in the feel of his lean, sinewy muscles. I had no idea how he had such a toned body, considering I had never seen him work out before, but that was a thought for another time. Right now, my mind centered on the feel of his lips against mine.

"Oh!" The voice coming from the doorway brought me back to reality.

Magnus lifted his face from mine so we could see the intruder. It was Isabelle. My sister was standing in the doorway, her face flushed. From on top of me, Magnus grinned. "Like what you see?" He taunted. I remembered him asking practically the same thing of Clary the other day. I supposed it was a quirk. Magnus definitely liked P.D.A; especially when he and I were the ones involved.

"Sorry," Isabelle gulped uncomfortably. "I didn't know you were here Magnus."

I wanted to say something to lessen her discomfort, but the awkwardness of the situation was getting to me. It was different to have a random girl, such as Clary catching me in bed with my boyfriend. It was quite another when said girl was my own sister. The thought of her just kissing that vampire made me want to puke, and I figured she was probably feeling the same way.

"I'll just…" she continued uneasily. "Be going now." She shut the door quickly and we could hear her boots echo down the hallway.

"Well, that was fun." Magnus stretched like the animal he resembled and climbed out of bed. "I think I need a shower."

"You know where it is." I replied. I sat up and looked around for a pair of jeans or a shirt to pull on. I found both and dressed quickly. When I looked back at Magnus, I realized that he hadn't moved. "What?"

"Alexander." He sighed. When I didn't say anything, he sighed again and I realized the sigh was meant to signify something.

"What?" I asked again.

"I was kind of hoping we could shower together." He pouted as if I should have guessed his intentions long before now. Come to think of it, I probably should have. It was Magnus. He liked sparkles and bright colors and refused to let me sleep late. He also had a particular fondness for showering together.

"Fine." I agreed readily. I needed a shower anyway. "Lead the way."

After getting out of the shower, I wiped at my face, hoping that the makeup Magnus had put on me almost a week ago was finally beginning to wear off. Looking in the mirror, I sighed. No such luck. I was anxiously awaiting the day when this stupid magic makeup wore off and I looked like myself again. For now, I was just going to have to settle for the bright makeup that clashed with every one of my outfits. Black, brown and other dark colors did not go well with the bright greens and blues on my face. And Magnus said I knew nothing of fashion.

Magnus had to get back to work, so he left as soon as he finished getting ready. He promised to come back in a few hours to finish the spell on Jace, but for now I was left alone. I knew better than to go to the kitchen in the morning, having lived with Isabelle her whole life. Instead, I went to the place I found myself drawn to a lot lately. The infirmary.

Every time Magnus caught me in here, I knew it hurt him. He pretended like he didn't care that I was spending so much time around Jace- well, Jace's body- but I knew he didn't like it. Despite my many attempts to assure him otherwise, I was over Jace. I had long since realized that I never really loved Jace. Not in the way I loved Magnus. But Jace was my parabatai and I did love him. I just loved him like a brother.

Still, being around him had always made me feel more relaxed, ever since the first time we met when he was ten and I was eleven and he was the sullen boy who had lost his father. It had taken a while to gain his trust, but ever since then, we had been inseparable. I sat down on the cot beside his in the infirmary and studied him. Jace lay unmoving, unflinching asleep on the cot. He was so still that it was worrisome. It occurred to me that if it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, he could very well be dead.

Despite my platonic feelings for Jace, it hurt to see him reduced to this. Without my parents around, Isabelle, Clary, and I found ourselves taking care of him. Magnus had volunteered for the job of cleaning up after Jace. Mostly because he knew neither of the girls would undress the unconscious boy, and he did not want the job to fall to me. I pretended not to know this.

"I knew I'd find you here." I jumped at the sound of Magnus's voice and turned almost guiltily to face him. I turned around just in time to catch a glimpse of the hurt that flitted across his face before it was gone; replaced by his usual easy nonchalance.

"You know me so well." I replied in an attempt to assuage his fears.

Magnus wouldn't meet my eyes. He held up a stylish leather satchel that I assumed held the last of the items required to finish the spell to wake Jace. "Hopefully he'll wake up today." He said in a carefully neutral tone of voice.

He began to set up his work station without ever looking me in the eye. We must have sat there for thirty minutes as he began working on Jace without him ever once looking at my face. Magnus got out his supplies and worked the spell, muttering the incantations quietly and studiously ignoring me.

Finally, he said, "Now all we have to do is wait."

That was when I decided I couldn't hold it in any longer. "Magnus." I sighed. "When are you going to realize that I'm completely and totally in love with you?" He froze in the process of placing the Book of White in his bag. I took the fact that he didn't turn to glare at me as a sign to continue. "When are you going to learn that I'm over Jace? That I never really loved him to begin with? I've told you again and again, but you don't seem to believe me."

Magnus turned around. He lifted his gaze from the ground with agonizing slowness before he finally met my eyes. When our eyes locked, I felt myself release the breath that I hadn't known I was holding. His lips slowly tilted into a smile and he said softly. "I do believe you. I always did."

"Then what-?"

Magnus gave me a smile sweeter than any other. "I was just waiting for you to figure it out. I was waiting for you to believe it as much as I did."

I felt my own features curve into a smile. "I love you, Magnus Bane, warlock extraordinaire." I moved forward to wrap him in a hug.

"I love you too, Alexander." He placed a chaste kiss on my lips and pulled back to meet my eyes.

"I love both of you." A new voice interrupted, ruining the moment. "Now are we done sharing our feelings? Because I'd like to get out of this room before we all start growing female parts."

Magnus and I both froze. There was only one person capable of ruining a moment like that. But he was supposed to be unconscious. I turned to gape at him. "Y-you-you're awake!" I stuttered. I had faith that Magnus would be able to wake him, but even I did not think it would happen within minutes of the spell being done.

"Yes." Jace replied superciliously. "And you've gone and screwed up your face while I was gone." My hand went involuntarily to my face until I realized that Jace was talking about the makeup that seemed permanently glued to my face.

"I wouldn't call it screwed up, exactly." I defended Magnus' work.

I turned back to Magnus to find him looking at Jace with a superior gleam in his eyes. "I should be given a plaque." He said almost to himself. "It should be mounted in the hall of the accords. The High Warlock of Brooklyn, Magnus the Magnificent, successfully wakes shadowhunter from coma. I should be commemorated in history books."

"Let's not get carried away." said Jace dryly. He was the only person I knew who could be in a coma for two weeks and wake up as annoying and sarcastic as he was to begin with.

"You did great, Maggs." I soothed the warlock who was still grinning infectiously.

"The plaque should mention my stunningly good looks too." Magnus continued on, stuck in his fantasy world. "Everyone wants me, you know." He added conspiratorially.

I scowled at him. "Don't get carried away." I repeated Jace's earlier sentiment.

"Yes," the blonde wonder himself agreed. "You are a handsome devil, but I don't swing that way."

That seemed to bring Magnus back to the real world. He frowned at Jace. "I'm not offended by what you say." He told Jace haughtily. "I'm just glad you're stringing words into sentences now." It was Jace's turn to frown. "And I'm ecstatic that I no longer have to dispose of your bodily secretions."

Jace wrinkled his finely boned nose. "Now that's just gross."

"Not as gross as-" Whatever Magnus was about to say was forgotten as the door to the infirmary blasted open and a streak of red and blue shot through the door. Before we could so much as move, Clary was sitting on Jace's cot with her arms wrapped around him. He hugged her back just as fiercely, his earlier arrogance disappearing.

"I missed you." She whispered in his ear.

"I missed you too." Jace murmured. A smile bigger than any I had ever seen on his face before was there now. He clutched Clary as desperately as a starving man would a morsel of food. As if she was the only thing between him and his death.

I smiled. Partly because anything that made Jace happy made me happy, but mostly because as I looked at them, staring into each others' eyes like star-crossed lovers, I felt no weight. It didn't hurt to see them together the way it used to. In fact, it felt good. It felt right. I felt almost giddy with this realization, because it meant that I was finally free. Free to love Magnus completely and unreservedly. It was the best feeling in the world.


	28. Chapter 28

_**I know I haven't updated in forever and you're probably all mad at me for not updating after Jace has finally woken up, but I have a legitimate excuse. The internet at my house is totally screwed up. :( I've been deprived of internet for like weeks. I finally got the internet on my mom's computer to work, which is how I'm updating now. **_

"_I missed you." Clary whispered in his ear._

"_I missed you too." Jace murmured._

Jace hugged me with all the muscle he had gained from years of working out. He held me so tightly that I thought I might break something, but I didn't protest. In fact, I loved every minute of it. We were both grinning like idiots, but neither of us cared.

"I love you." Jace pressed his face into my neck, inhaling deeply and then breathing out. He placed gentle kisses along my throat, moving up until he found my mouth.

"I love you more." I countered when we came up for air. He was going to protest, but I stopped him by saying, "I'm so sorry. I should never have tried to hurt you. None of it was your fault."

To the demons and Downworlders, Jace was just another shadowhunter. To the Clave, he was just another pain in the butt. To the world, he was just another gorgeous boy. But to me, he was so much more than that. To me, Jace _was_ the world.

I couldn't believe I had ever thought differently. Now that I was back in his arms where I belonged, everything was going to be all right. I was safe and secure because Jace was the best shadowhunter our age. He could protect me from just about anything and he loved me enough to do it. Sappy, but true.

"It's okay." He murmured. "I forgive you." He met my lips with a sweet kiss. This was followed by cuddling.

I would have been content to sit on the small infirmary cot and embrace Jace all day, but a derisive snort from across the room reminded me that we weren't alone. I shifted in Jace's arms to see Alec and Magnus watching us. "You two are like a really bad chick flick." Magnus observed rudely.

Alec added, "Jace, I believe you have started to grow those feminine parts you were so worried about." Jace muttered something at his best friend that rhymed with glass mole.

"Now, now." Magnus said reprovingly. "Is that anyway to talk to your best friend?" Jace repeated his words to the warlock.

I poked him in the stomach. "Be nice," I chided. "Without them, you'd still be unconscious."

"Well then, it's a good thing neither of them was killed by demons." Jace said. I frowned. Only Jace could make a thank you sound like a death threat.

"You need to teach your man some manners, Clarissa." Magnus echoed my thoughts. I was surprised that I hadn't noticed him when I first entered the room. His wardrobe consisted of a bright orange v-neck and rainbow skinny jeans. The glitter in his hair matched the outfit and his makeup accented his cat-like eyes. To complete the outfit, he wore yellow converse over surprisingly plain white socks.

My gaze switched from Magnus to Alec and the contrast made me smile. Their makeup was similar, much to Alec's dismay. But other than that, the two were complete opposites in clothes. Where Magnus was bright, Alec was dark. Alec's shirt today was a faded brown color, and I suspected that it had once been black. His pants and shoes were both black, too. It was good to know that some things never changed.

"Mom and dad have been trying to teach Jace manners for years." The less colorful of the two put in. "I'm pretty sure it can't be done."

"You're telling me." I agreed. I had firsthand experience with the fact that Jace was going to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted, despite anyone's objections. Though every now and then, he did do what I asked him too.

"You love me anyway." Jace reminded me, pulling me close again.

"Also true." I consented. I leaned forward and placed a light kiss on his nose. He lifted his face to mine and kissed me soundly on the lips. He pulled away to check my reaction. Whatever he saw in my face must have been what he was looking for because he didn't pull away. With a grin, he framed my face with his hands and kissed me again.

"No P.D.A.!" Magnus objected loudly.

Pulling my mouth away from Jace's, I frowned. "I bet if I were a guy, you wouldn't have a problem with it."

Magnus gave me a devious smile. "I appreciate the sight of pretty girls as well as the next guy." He told me with a wink. "It's blondie over there I have a problem with."

Rather than get offended by the blow to his gorgeousness as I half-expected he would, Jace smirked and opened his mouth to make a comeback. He thought he always had to have the last word. Before he could, Simon's voice echoed loudly from the hall outside of the infirmary. "Where did Clary go?" He asked. I assumed the question was directed at Isabelle.

Sure enough, Isabelle's voice answered him. "She just took off at a run down the hall. No warning or anything. Who knows, she might be going crazy."

Jace met my eyes with a smirk that meant some teasing comment was sure to follow. "Don't." I headed him off. I made a mental note to discuss that last comment with Isabelle later. Just because she was pregnant did not give her the right to get away with things like that.

"I was only going to say that I missed you." Jace told me innocently. I refrained from pointing out that he had said the exact same thing a minute ago and decided to let it go.

"Maybe she went in the infirmary." Isabelle suggested. "It's the only room on this hall that's got anything interesting in it. If you consider Jace interesting."

Beside me, Jace bristled. I tried and failed to hold back a smirk. "What?" I asked innocently, doing exactly as he had done a minute ago. It was always fun to get back at Jace. "I was only going to say that I missed you."

"Cute." He told me sarcastically.

Isabelle strode through the doorway. Her eyes settled on Jace and she promptly stopped in her tracks. Simon kept walking and crashed into her. "Ow!" He complained loudly. "What was…?" He trailed off as he leaned around Isabelle to peer at Jace. His and Isabelle's jaws dropped almost simultaneously.

"Jace!" Isabelle squeaked happily.

Jace pulled away from me long enough to see his sister. "Hey, Iz." He said with a smile. Then his eyes settled on Simon. "Bloodsucker." He added coldly.

I gave him a reproving glare. He didn't like Simon, but rarely was he outright cold to my best friend. Simon didn't return Jace's sour look. Nor did he back down. He and Jace stared each other down. I had to keep reminding myself that this wasn't Simon the Geek. This was motorcycle-owning, vampire Simon who just happened to have a fondness for music and Dungeons and Dragons.

Jace looked away first and when he met Simon's eyes again, this time his golden ones held a hint of respect. That was new. Simon turned his gaze toward me and with one look; I knew we were thinking the same thing. If a staring contest was all it took, Simon could have done that a long time ago.

"So this is where Clary disappeared to." He said. His voice was carefully neutral.

"Mmhmm." It surprised everyone that Magnus was the one to answer. We all turned to look at him, only to find that his answer was not aimed at Simon.

Magnus wasn't even looking at Simon. He had his head ducked down, inches away from Alec's and they were having what looked like a very intimate discussion. "Nuh-uh." Alec said, loud enough for all of us to hear. "Later." Beside me, Jace flopped back onto the cot. He looked as if he were getting ready to watch an interesting show. I suppose, in a way, he was.

Magnus whispered something in Alec's ear that I couldn't make out and the younger man's face flushed. "I did not say that." He protested loudly. Alec seemed to forget that he and Magnus weren't the only two in the room.

I could barely make out Magnus' whisper. "I believe you did."

"I did not say that I wanted you to-!" Alec shouted. At the last second, he seemed to realize that everyone in the room was staring at him and he broke off abruptly, his face turning the color of a tomato.

"Do we even want to know?" Isabelle inquired of no one in particular.

"Probably not." Simon told her. "I'd rather not know, anyway." Jace and I both echoed that sentiment.

"Speaking of wanting to know things." Magnus said randomly, turning away from his still-red boyfriend. "I have a question."

"What?" Jace asked, sounding bored as he shifted on the cot beside me. Sitting up, he told the warlock, "No, I won't marry you. Alec might go into a jealous rage and murder us all." His tone was cheerful and almost as an afterthought, he added, "Plus, I don't swing that way."

"That would be awful!" Isabelle said before Magnus had a chance to reply.

"What, Alec killing everyone?" Jace asked nonchalantly. I snuck a glance at the dark-haired shadowhunter in question. He was watching his siblings' discussion as if such things were everyday occurrences which, come to think of it, they were.

"No," Isabelle said as if Jace were an idiot for ever entertaining that notion. "I meant you being gay."

From across the room, Magnus let out a loud snort and Alec looked as if he'd like to be somewhere else. Simon frowned at Isabelle's statement. "So you think that the thought of Jace being a…" he glanced involuntarily at Magnus and Alec and said instead, "being gay would be scarier than the thought of your biological brother murdering five people in a jealous rage?"

"Of course." Izzy said as if it were obvious. Both Simon and I failed to follow her line of thinking, so she started to explain. "Alec isn't ruthless or cruel. He's killed, like, one demon in his whole life. There's nothing to fear from him. Jace, on the other hand, would be absolutely terrifying if he was gay."

She gave us a minute to let that sink in.

"Actually," Magnus spoke into the silence, "My question wasn't for Jace. Nor was it a marriage proposal. It was intended for Clary."

I looked up. "Me?" What could he possibly want to know? He couldn't know about the ring, could he? There was no way he could know that I was still thinking about trying it out.

"You knew that Jace was awake, didn't you?" Magnus inquired curiously. I tried not to let out a sigh of relief that he didn't know about the ring. The warlock looked straight into my eyes with his alarming cat-like ones. I immediately looked down. I felt my hand go to the chain around my throat, an action that had become a habit in the past few days. I felt the ring I was looking for under my fingers.

"Yes." I admitted, deciding to stay as close to the truth as possible in hopes that it would keep them from catching on. "I knew something had happened."

I just got this feeling. At first, I thought the feeling meant that Jace was in trouble. I thought something was attacking him. It wasn't until I got to the infirmary that I found out the real reason for my instinctive draw to him was that he had awakened.

"How did you know?" Magnus asked.

I forced myself to meet his eyes unblinkingly. I was usually a fairly good liar. "I don't know. It was just a feeling."

"But the feeling had to come from somewhere." Magnus pointed out.

I shrugged nonchalantly. "Your guess is as good as mine. Probably better." I added the last part in the hopes that he would let it go. Magnus was like Jace when it came to that type of thing. Flattery would get you anywhere with the two of them. Magnus didn't seem to hear the last part. He frowned and pursed his lips in thought, not willing to let it go.

"You don't think that demon had anything to with this?" Isabelle asked. "Could he have some sort of powers?"

"What demon?" Jace asked confusedly. "Are you talking about Botis?"

Isabelle and I exchanged glances and I turned to face Jace. "You have a lot of catching up to do." I told him. I was glad to know something before Jace for once.

"We caught a demon with the ring Botis stole from Clary." Alec said, carefully omitting any mention of Jace being the one to steal the ring. Jace's expression was unreadable. I couldn't tell if he remembered attacking me or not.

The demon. There was an idea forming in the back of my mind, and it involved the demon. And the ring. Slowly, it came to me. I could try the ring out on the demon. The demon was locked in a cage, so if anything went wrong, I would be perfectly safe. I could wait until no one was around to try it, and they would never be the wiser.

"Clary will fill me in." Jace nudged me, breaking up the thoughts of my half-formed idea. "Won't you, Clary?"

"Mmhmm." I agreed, only partially listening.

"Now if you guys will excuse us," Jace told everyone with a grin, "Clary and I have some catching up to do."

Try as I might, I couldn't forget the idea of trying out the ring on the demon. Later, I promised myself. Later. For now, I was going to enjoy some quality time with my boyfriend.

_**Oh yeah, I should probably inform you that a bunch of the funny quotes in my story were stolen *gasp!* from the tv show Supernatural. Quotes such as, "Last time you zapped me someplace, I didn't poop for a week," and "Are we done feeling our feelings? Because I'd like to get out of this room before we both start growing lady parts." Though I changed the last one a little.**_


	29. Chapter 29

_**To make up for my long intervals between updating, I'm giving you another chapter.**_

_**And I do not own the song Dynamite by Taio Cruz, obviously, because I hadn't heard the song before today.**_

"Jace Lightwood!" Isabelle shouted. Alec and I could hear her clearly from the kitchen even though the infirmary was two halls over.

We exchanged glances. "What do you think he did this time?" I asked with a grin.

"With Jace, there's no telling." Alec's exasperation with his best friend was obvious in his voice. He leaned down to open the refrigerator. Finding nothing edible, he shut the door and turned back around. As he turned, his eyes landed on a dish that was sitting on the counter. The dish itself was not notable, but its contents looked like something you would find in a dumpster.

Alec said distastefully, "But if I had to guess why Izzy's mad at him, my guess would probably have something to do with _that._"

Isabelle stomped into the room, glaring at the plate full of dumpster-food she held in her hands. She slammed the plate down on the table and sat down huffily. "Wow, Isabelle. What did the plate do to you?" Alec asked deadpan.

She frowned at her older brother. "The plate didn't do anything. Jace did."

"What did he do this time?" I asked. As Alec had said before, there was no telling what Jace was going to do to offend people. This time, however, I thought he might have a legitimate reason.

"He's being ridiculous." Isabelle told us. She waited for a reaction, but Alec and I both just stared at her. "What?" She asked defensively.

"Jace is always ridiculous." I pointed out.

Isabelle turned to look at me as if she had only just realized that I was in the room. A scary smile crossed her face. "Clary." She said in a sickly sweet voice, the kind of voice that always preceded her asking for a favor.

"What do you want, Isabelle?" I asked warily.

She got to her feet and picked up the plate. Still smiling, she thrust it into my hands. "He likes _you_, Clary. I nominate you to feed him."

"Feed who?" I asked. "Jace?"

"Do you see anyone else stuck in the infirmary refusing to eat the nutritious breakfast that their sister lovingly cooked for them?" Isabelle asked rhetorically.

Alec snorted a laugh. "I don't know about that lovingly part. First, you got into a fight with the carton of eggs and had to end up throwing half of them out. Next, you burned said eggs and used them anyway. And last, you-" He broke off as Isabelle picked up a spoon and ladled out a huge portion of whatever she had cooked onto his plate. "What are you doing?" He demanded.

"Since you know how hard I worked to cook this food, you of all people should eat it." She told him with a grin. "Come on, big bro. Eat up. Eggs are good for you."

My eyes got wide. "Wait, there are eggs in here?" One of the most noticeable things about the meal was that it was brown. Eggs weren't brown. I had to wonder what else Isabelle had put in it.

"Just take it to Jace, Clary." Isabelle shook her head as if I was hopeless when it came to food. I looked to Alec for help, but he was busy staring disgustedly at the pile of "eggs" on his plate. "I know you can get him to eat it."

Alec looked up and met my eyes. We both knew there was no way I was going to convince Jace to eat this crap. Alec smirked a smirk not unlike Jace's and mouthed, "Good luck."

I looked back at Isabelle who was waiting expectantly. "Fine." I sighed. "I'll do it. But Alec has to come too."

"What? No!" Alec objected loudly. Apparently, he was more afraid of Jace than of the trash that was his breakfast.

Isabelle frowned; a little put out that Alec was going to get out of eating his food. "I guess." She agreed. "As long as Alec comes back to finish his food."

Alec smirked again and said, "Oh, I will Izzy. I'll even do better than that. I'll take it with me." He picked up the plate and made a beeline for the door. I turned to say something to Izzy, but before I could, Alec grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the door behind him.

He shut the door to the kitchen carefully behind us and made a shushing motion at me. I was about to snap at him when he made a motion for me to follow him down the hallway. We twisted and turned down the halls until I was almost lost. Finally, Alec stopped in front of one of the Institute's many doors.

"Here it is." He announced.

"Here what is?" I asked. "Why did we wander around in circles to come here when we were supposed to go to the infirmary?"

"We weren't wandering in circles." Alec frowned. Apparently, it hurt his manly pride for me to assume that we had been lost. Yes, even gay men have manly pride. "Do you want to see what's behind the door or not?" He asked.

I decided to humor him. "Sure."

"Here hold this." Alec held the plate Isabelle had given him out to me. When I took it, he withdrew a key from his pocket to open the door. Instantly, my head was full of questions. What was behind the door that he would need a key for? Was he hiding it from Isabelle or Jace? And why the heck was he showing me?

All my questions were answered as the door swung open to reveal a bunch of shelves stocked with… are you ready for this? Food. Staring fixedly at the shelf holding Twinkies and potato chips, I felt the corners of my mouth lift into a smile.

I took a few steps into the room and my eyes found a refrigerator identical to the one in the real kitchen. "What is this?" I asked Alec curiously. I couldn't keep the awe from my voice.

"This is my secret stash." Alec admitted. "It's for when Isabelle decides to cook – which is almost every night – and when it tastes horrible –that's also almost every night." He leaned over to take the two plates from me and dump them into a nearby trashcan. "The only person who knows about it is Magnus. And now you."

Coming from anyone else, I would have shrugged that off, but from Alec, this had to be the highest compliment. He told me a secret that not even Jace knew. I was honored. "Thanks so much Alec."

He shrugged, brushing off my thanks. "Church knows too, of course. But cats can't talk so I think the secret's safe." He paused thoughtfully. "Speaking of Church, I haven't seen him in a while. Do you remember seeing him anywhere?"

"Um…" I debated whether or not to tell him that his boyfriend may possibly have done something to the cat. Magnus did say that Church was fine. Though there was that thing about him not being blue anymore. Oh, well. I decided Alec would be better off not knowing any of that. "No." I said decisively.

"He'll be fine." Alec said almost to himself. "He always shows up eventually. And I don't know about you, but I'm starving." He picked up the bag of chips I had been eyeing and handed them to me.

"Alec, have I ever told you that I love you?" I grinned and accepted the chips from him.

He laughed and picked up his own bag. "Believe it or not, you haven't."

We sat there in companionable silence munching on our chips. After a while, I had to ask, "I know why you didn't tell Isabelle about this, but why didn't you tell Jace?"

He shrugged. "First of all, he would eat all of the food. I've been working on my stash for a while now, so that would kind of be pointless. And second of all, he would probably leave wrappers everywhere and get us caught."

"Both of those are good points." I conceded. "But I still feel bad eating this stuff when Jace is going to have to eat what Isabelle cooked."

"I already threw Isabelle's poisonous crap in the trash, so he can't eat that. We could always bring him back something." Alec suggested. "I do that all the time. He never suspects anything."

I tried to copy that raised eyebrow thing that Jace did so well. "We're in New York. There's a Starbucks and a McDonalds on every corner. Why would he?"

"Because Jace i-" He began only to be interrupted by the slamming of the door behind us. Alec jumped up and made to hide the bag of chips in his hand belatedly realizing that the intruder was only Magnus.

The warlock eyed his boyfriend's poor attempt to hide the food with a dubious expression. "Really, Alec? The whole room is filled with food and you think hiding one bag of chips will solve everything?"

"I thought you were Isabelle." Alec frowned.

"Obviously." Magnus said, sounding bored. "Otherwise you wouldn't have bothered to hide."

"How did you know we were here?" I asked Magnus.

"I had no idea that Alexander brought you to his secret sanctum, Clary." Magnus told me easily. "But I was looking for him." He turned to face Alec as he continued. "When you weren't in your room or the infirmary, I had my suspicions. But when Isabelle offered me some of those putrid things she calls eggs, I knew for sure."

"Yeah, breakfast with Isabelle is enough to drive anyone insane." I agreed. "I need to take some food to Jace soon, though, or he'll complain to Isabelle that he hasn't been fed. Then, she'll try to feed him again and we all know how that's going to end up."

"Here," Alec dug around on one of the shelves before pulling out one box of pop tarts and another of cereal. "I have milk too, but I don't think we can get that by Isabelle." He told me apologetically.

"Hey, don't apologize to me." I told him. "You saved me from having to eat those eggs." I turned to go, but stopped as I remembered something. "Alec..."

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You kind of have to come too." I pointed out. "Isabelle's orders and all."

"So you take orders from you little sister?" Magnus teased. "Aren't you just the cutest thing, Allie?" Alec scowled at the warlock, giving him what I imagined was a 'not in public' face. "What?" Magnus asked defensively. "You are cute." He turned to me and added, "Isn't he Clary?"

Rather than let the rhetorical question go, I decided to answer it just to make Alec uncomfortable. I looked him up and down. "I suppose." I told Magnus. Alec turned his scowl on me.

"Now, now, Allie boo." I did my best Magnus impression. "Don't look at me like that."

"Are you trying to get the food supply taken away?" He retorted. I shut up. "That's what I thought. Now let's go find Jace."

We found Jace right where Isabelle had left him. He was in the infirmary on his cot, complaining about being stuck here. "I brought you something!" I announced cheerfully as I walked into the room.

"More of Isabelle's food?" He groaned. I nodded, hiding the boxes behind my back. "I'm going to die." He moaned.

Then he seemed to notice Alec and Magnus. "What are you guys doing here?" Jace asked.

"We just came to watch." Alec told him.

"If you insist." Jace grinned in that worrying way he had.

Picking up on Jace's innuendo, Alec scowled. "Gross, Jace. I didn't mean it like that." The dark-haired boy glared at his best friend and brother.

"Too bad." Jace said nonchalantly.

He went back to lying on the cot, moaning about being left all alone in the infirmary when he wasn't even sick. "Aw, poor Jacey." I said. "Stuck all by his lonesome eating Isabelle's food."

"Yes, it's absolutely horrible." He agreed somberly. "You should give me a kiss to make it better."

"I can do better than that." I grinned. "How about a kiss _and _edible food?" Jace's somber expression vanished, and he seemed to notice the two boxes in my hands for the first time. He reached for them.

At the last minute, I pulled the boxes out of his reach. "Not yet." I told him. "First, you have to do something for me."

"What?" He asked curiously.

I leaned down to whisper my request in his ear. It was simple; I wanted Jace to be my date to my mother's wedding.

"Ooh, nasty." Jace said with a glance at Alec and Magnus. He was clearly playing up the fact that they had no idea what I had asked him. He pretended to wince. "You should be nice to the injured man, Clary."

"I'll try being nicer if you try being smarter." I retorted, playing along.

"We're not five, Clary." He told me condescendingly.

"So I'll take that as a no?" I asked, knowing he was going to accept my offer.

"It's a yes," He said with a very Jace-like smirk. "Definitely a yes. And maybe afterward, we can come back to the Institute and-"

"I feel left out." Magnus said, interrupting Jace's insinuation. "Do you feel left out, Alec? I mean, the nerve of some people, leaving world heroes like Magnus Bane and cuddly shadowhunters like Alexander Lightwood out of their conversations."

"How come you get to be a world hero and I have to be cuddly?" Alec demanded of his boyfriend.

"Because I _am _a world hero and you _are_ cuddly. Especially when I do-"

"No one wants to know what makes Alec cuddly." Jace announced in a pained voice. "Now, Clary on the other hand…" He smirked again. Then I hit him on the shoulder. "Ow! That hurt!" He cried. I slapped his shoulder again. "Ow! That hurt more!"

"You shouldn't provoke me." I frowned at him. "I'm the one holding your breakfast."

"I am bruised and battered." Jace protested. "_You_ shouldn't hurt injured people. It's downright cruel."

"Oh, I'll show you cruel Jace Lightwood." I turned around to leave the room, taking the food with me.

"Wait, Clary!" Jace shouted at my retreating back. "I'm sorry. Please come back. I'm hungry."

"Say you're sorry." I told him from the doorway.

"I already did." Jace grumbled, but he said it. He managed to sound not the least bit apologetic. Then, he sat back against the wall and smiled insolently at me. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes.

"I heard you." I told him triumphantly, deciding to take what I could get. "I just wanted to hear you say it again."

"You know what I'd like to hear you say again?" Jace asked. Judging from his expression, I didn't want to know. I sent a nervous glance to Alec and Magnus. Seeing my uneasiness, Jace motioned me closer and whispered in my ear.

"Ew! Jace. I did not say that!" I protested loudly. He sat back, content now that he had gotten his word in. "_Why _are you so frustrating?" I demanded.

"I'm not at all frustrating." Jace said conceitedly. "I'm actually really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me."

Magnus snorted. "The day someone starts worshiping you is the day Alec isn't up for the horizontal mambo." Alec glared at him again. Magnus grinned, "You have to admit its true, Alexander."

Alec continued glaring. "I love you, but I am going to kill you." He told the warlock.

"You would never do that." Magnus said. "Because then you would be all alone with these people and you would go insane like they are."

"I resent that comment." Jace told him.

"It's okay," Magnus assured him. "Your mental slowness will heal in time. It's nothing rehab won't fix."

I thought about that for a minute. "There's nothing wrong with Jace's head."

"Poor, naïve Clary." Magnus shook his head sadly. "Just because nothing has been diagnosed doesn't mean nothing's wrong."

Just then, Jace's eyes rolled backwards into his head and he fell over. His head struck the wall with a crack. Judging from the way Magnus and Alec both jumped forward, they hadn't seen the sneaky grin on his face before he did it.

Magnus and Alec moved forward at the same time and somehow ended up tripping over each other. Magnus caught himself before he fell, but Alec was less fortunate. He went sprawling across the bed his face on top of Jace's chest. Jace's eyes flickered open.

"Alec…" He said with a smirk. "We've talked about this… personal space?"

Alec clambered off of Jace with a scowl even darker than his usual ones. He told Jace to go do something anatomically impossible. "It was just my brain damage showing through." Jace said innocently.

"That wasn't funny, Jace." Alec scowled at him.

"I found it very funny." Jace countered.

"No, it wasn't."

"Yes, it was."

Having reverted to five year old tactics, Alec added, "Well, I'm the oldest and that means I'm always right."

"No it doesn't." Jace countered again.

"Yes, it does." Alec insisted.

"Actually, neither of you are right because I am the oldest." Interrupted Magnus. "And you're both acting very childish at the moment."

"Alec did it first." Jace protested. "And you know what they say. If you can't beat them…"

"Join them." I finished.

"Not what I was going to say." Jace replied. "Some people say that. I say; if you can't beat them, beat them. Because they will be expecting you to join them, so you'll have the element of surprise."

"And that made absolutely no since whatsoever." Magnus pointed out. "Like most of the things that come out of your mouth."

Just then, music blasted through the room. "_We gon' rock this club. We gon' go all night. We gon' light it up like its dynamite. 'Cause I told you once; now I told you twice. We gon' light it up like its dynamite." _The music seemed to come from nowhere, but I realized it was coming from Magnus. He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket to check it.

He pressed a few buttons and then put it back in his pocket. "Who was that?" Alec asked.

"That," Magnus said with his usual cat-like grin, "Was my alarm. We need to leave." Alec looked confused, so Magnus continued. "Remember, dinner reservations? Nice restaurant? Just you and me? Any of this ring a bell?"

Comprehension crossed Alec's face. "Yeah, I remember now."

"Well, it's in an hour. So we need to go." The sparkly warlock told his boyfriend seriously. He grabbed Alec's hand and led him to the door. Alec dug his heels in.

"Why do we have to leave now if it's an hour away?" He asked.

"Prep time, of course." Magnus said like it was obvious. "You of all people shoud know that looking this beautiful takes work." He smiled indulgently at Alec. "And I have to look extra beautiful tonight for a certain special someone." Jace made barfing noises in the background, but I thought it was sweet.

"Buh-bye, shadowhunters." Magnus called as he led Alec through the door. "Don't expect Alec home tonight."

"Here," I told Jace after they had left. I gave him to food and sat down on the cot beside him.

"Finally," He sighed dramatically. You would think that he hadn't eaten in months from the way he said it. Then again, living with Isabelle, he might have forgone meals due to their noxious odors and gross tastes.

I smiled sweetly. "The last thing I want to do is hurt you, Jace. But it's still on the list."

"This is the list that has sleep with Jace on the top, isn't it?" He taunted with his signature grin. He ripped open the cereal box and plunged his hand inside. Then he proceeded to stuff his face.

"You are so insufferable, Jace Lightwood." I scowled at him.

Seeing my expression, he put down the cereal box and stuffed the cereal in his hand into his mouth. He wrapped both of his now-empty hands around one of mine. "You know I'm only teasing when I say stuff like that, don't you?" Jace asked sincerely.

I looked down at our clasped hands. "Yeah, I know. But sometimes, I don't want you to make jokes at everyone else's expense or even your own. Sometimes, I just want you to be the sweet guy I know you are underneath that sarcastic, cocky exterior."

Jace smiled a little ruefully. "Sweet." He laughed. "You have got to be the only person I've ever met who has called me sweet."

I leaned my face closer to his and pressed my forehead against him. Closing my eyes and relaxing against him, I said, "But you are sometimes."

"Only with you." He said quietly.

"No, you kept Alec's secret even though you suspected he was gay the whole time, you eat Isabelle's food sometimes, even though Alec and I always manage to get out of it, and I know for a fact that you loved Max and treated him nicer than anyone, maybe even me."

He nuzzled my neck with his nose a leaned up to whisper in my ear. "I love you." He turned his head so that our mouths met and kissed me gently.

"Are you trying to distract me?" I asked, breaking away.

I felt him smile against my lips. "Is it working?" He whispered.

"Doesn't it always?" I retorted. He didn't reply. He only kissed me again.

"I love you." I said, giving up on ever getting my point across.

"I love you too, Clary."

Jace might be frustrating, arrogant, and sometimes even annoying, but I loved him. And despite my own faults, he loved me too. And somehow, that was the only thing that mattered.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Yeah, so this chapter is basically Jace/Clary fluff. **_

One minute I was sitting in Idris having a very pleasant, demon-free date with Jace and the next, I was yawning heavily. I rolled over trying, as usual, to get away from the bright light of day, but I made no effort to open my eyes.

For some reason, my bed was very warm. My half-asleep brain didn't fully comprehend the probable reason for this and instead urged me to move closer to the source of the heat. I snuggled into the bed, pressing my face closer to the warmth.

A soft growl, like the purr of a cat echoed through the waking chambers of my mind. I stirred and when my brain began to piece together the information my senses were sending, I suddenly came awake. My eyes snapped open to find myself lying on top of a very disheveled-looking Jace. That was a surprise in and of itself, and the fact that he looked to be deep in sleep only added to it. The only thing that reassured me was the fact that we were both wearing clothes. Well, that was if you counted Jace's pajama bottoms as clothes.

"Jace." I prodded him, hoping to get his attention. He didn't move. I frowned, still trying to get past the fact that I was lying on top of him.

"Hmm." He murmured, still half-asleep. As I tried to pull away, he wrapped his arms tightly around me.

"Jace," I said again. "Wake up." With his eyes closed, he pressed his face into my neck.

I lifted my eyes a fraction more and was surprised to find my eyes even with his nose. His snuggled even closer into my neck. I pretended not to see the sneaky grin on his face.

Taking full advantage of his pretending to be asleep, I lifted my head away from Jace's. I ran my eyes up and down his still body with a smile. His smooth skin looked touchable beneath the rumpled white sheet. Lying perfectly still, I let my eyes wander up his tanned throat to his angular chin. The upturned corners of his mouth gave him away yet again.

"Jace Lightwood." I said sweetly, lowering my face to his. "I know you're awake."

"No, I'm not." He told me, finally opening his eyes. "And you shouldn't be either. What are you doing awake?"

"Habit." I said. He raised one of his hands and picked a curly strand of hair from my cheek. Looking at it distractedly, he rubbed it between his fingers. "But I have to admit, it's not my habit to wake up and find a totally gorgeous guy in bed next to me."

"Well then heaven's light has shined upon you once again," he told me with a devious smile. "Because it has brought you to me."

"Yeah, about that…" I began. Seeming to sense what was coming, Jace raised his head to meet my lips for a sweet kiss. I wasn't going to let him distract me this time. I pulled away from him and propped myself up on my elbows. "How did you end up in my bed anyway?"

Jace suddenly seemed to find the ceiling very interesting. "Well…" He stalled. Jace lifted his arm to touch one of mine. His fingers traced smooth patterns over my marks and he switched his attention from the ceiling to my arm. I tried not to show that it tickled, but my arm was beginning to shake with the effort from holding myself up.

"I'm waiting, Jace." I told him. I pulled my arm from his grasp and rolled off of his body. I turned on my side to face him and he imitated the action.

He propped himself up on one elbow and smiled at me. "The cot in the infirmary was uncomfortable." He said innocently.

What kind of excuse was that? "Then you could have gone to your room." I pointed out with a frown. "It's closer. Besides, you're the one who claims to have a high pain threshold. You should be a man and suck it up."

"I am a man," Jace said defensively, "Which is why when I walked past your bedroom to get a snack and I saw you in here asleep, I couldn't resist coming in to take a better look. And then, you sighed the way you do before I kiss you and I wondered what you were dreaming about."

"So how did you go from the sweet boyfriend watching his girl sleep to the creepy stalker that climbed into bed with her?" I asked. Somehow I managed to say it with a straight face, despite Jace's horrified expression upon being called a creepy stalker.

As quickly as it had come, Jace's offended look was gone. It was replaced by a devious grin. "If you think I'm such a creepy stalker, why do you seem to like it so much when I do this?" He leaned forward to kiss me. Our lips met and I felt the usual flash of passion that was always inspired by Jace's kisses. He pulled away and grinned, "I should sleep in your room every night." I wanted to second that option, but I knew it would eventually lead to more than just sleeping in the same bed.

"In your dreams, Jace." I told him regretfully, putting more space between us in an attempt to refrain from pulling him back to me for another kiss.

He smirked. "Actually, I think your dreams are the explicit ones if last night is anything to go by."

I only looked at him. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that last comment."

Now that there was no one else around and I wasn't lying on top of him, I could really study Jace for the first time since he woken up from his demon-induced coma. I raised my eyes to meet his and was met with a sweet smile. Not a grin or a smirk, but a genuine smile. Jace had a way of smiling that lit up his whole face. I smiled back, struck by how handsome he was.

He reached forward, like he was going to wrap his arm around me and kiss me again and I felt myself leaning toward him automatically. I was surprised as he reached past me and plucked my sketchbook off of my bedside table. I had forgotten that I left it there. I forgot about most things when I was with Jace.

He began flipping almost absentmindedly through it, smirking as he came to pictures of himself, and trust me there were many. It was increasingly frustrating to watch him puff up proudly at pictures he wasn't even supposed to see. I reached forward to take it from him, but he held on tightly.

"Jace, give it back." I glared. "How would you like it if I went digging through your personal stuff?"

The smirk didn't leave his face. "You mean like my underwear drawer?" He asked teasingly. "I'd ask to watch."

I rolled my eyes at his immaturity. "You have no respect for boundaries."

"I have no idea what you mean," Jace said innocently. He moved closer to me until he was invading my personal space, somehow managing to keep my sketchbook out of my hands at the same time.

"Give it back." I repeated. I clambered over Jace to reach the book in his hands. He wrapped one strong arm around my waist, holding me in place and flipped through the book with the other.

"Ah, what do we have here?" He taunted. He held up the book so that I could see the picture. It was another of him and conceited jerk that he was, he was staring at it with an almost narcissistic expression. The picture was of my boyfriend shirtless with angel wings. Cliché, I know. But in my defense, he did have angel blood.

"I hate you." I spat. I wriggled in his grasp, trying to slip out from under his arm. I could almost reach my sketchbook. If I stretched.

"I love you too." Jace managed to hold it just out of my reach. This obviously was not going to work, so I decided to switch tactics.

I let my body go pliant against Jace's. He still held me tightly expecting some sort of sneak attack. I pulled one of my arms out of his grasp and reached up to twine it in his golden hair. Without another thought, I covered his mouth with mine. This was the last thing he had been expecting. At first, he didn't react but soon he was kissing me just as ardently as I was kissing him. The arm restraining me loosened its grip and both of Jace's arms went around me. Unlike the one before it, this embrace was not restraining. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Jace urged me closer to him with both his mouth and the rest of his body.

It was exactly what both of us needed, considering we hadn't had a good, long make out session in at least a week. While he was busy focusing on the feel of my mouth against his, I reached over and plucked my forgotten sketchpad from my blonde angel's fingers. Tossing it on the floor, I promptly forgot about it too.

When Jace and I finally broke apart, we were both breathing heavily. His syrup-colored eyes held a look of repressed desire. He rested his head in the hollow of my neck and tried to regain his breath. We were both silent as we enjoyed the intimacy of the moment.

I heard what sounded like a shout from somewhere in the Institute. "Do you hear something?" I asked once I could speak again. I was proud that my voice was only slightly uneven.

"Yes," Jace mumbled into my neck hoarsely. "My heart. It's pounding."

I smiled against his shoulder, biting it softly, loving even the slightest trace of vulnerability he demonstrated. "I feel the same way." I told him in a whisper. "But that wasn't what I meant. Did you hear something outside?"

I felt him smile against my neck. "I was a little busy."

"Never mind." I said dismissively. My eyes wandered over Jace's head to the clock beside my bed. "Whoa, I think it's time to get up, Jace."

"What if I don't want to?" He complained.

"Jace." I smiled indulgently. "If I tell you we can do this again later will you get up?"

"Now you've got me thinking about later." Jace groaned. He moved away from me and lay sprawled on his back watching with hot, possessive eyes.

"Close your eyes." I told him as I gathered a change of clothes from various drawers and the closest. "And no peeking." I knew Jace well enough to assume he was going to peak, so I turned my back to him as I changed.

"You know, we still haven't figured out what kind of demon we caught a while ago." I said randomly. For the past two days, I hadn't had an opportunity to try the ring out on the demon, but the idea had never been far from my mind. Well, it hadn't been far from my mind until I woke up to find my golden angel in bed with me.

"I bet I could figure it out." Jace said.

"I've had enough training to figure it out by now, though." I informed him. "Alec and Isabelle too." I pulled off the pair of boxer shorts I wore as pajama bottoms and reached for clean shorts. I dropped them and had to bend over to retrieve them.

"I don't know," I continued, hoping if I kept talking, it would deter Jace from opening his eyes. "I could be missing something."

Jace's soft chuckle echoed throughout the room. "Believe me, not from this angle." I sent a glare over my shoulder to find him eyeing my butt. I quickly pulled the shorts on.

About that time, I remembered that I didn't sleep in a bra and I decided that changing shirts in front of Jace might not be such a good idea. Instead, I glared at him and scooping up my pile of clothes, I made to leave the room. I barely opened the door before the door knob was jerked from my grasp as the door flew open.

"Clary, Jace isn't in the infirmary!" Isabelle announced anxiously after throwing open the door. "He disappeared and neither Alec or I have seen him!"

"Um, Isabelle…" I started. Belatedly, her eyes moved past me and into the room behind me. Isabelle's eyes widened drastically. Following her eyes to my bed, I saw what had caused her reaction. The sheets on my bed covered Jace from the waist down, blocking Isabelle's view of his pajama bottoms. His shirtless chest was muscular and enticing, but I knew that all Isabelle noticed was the fact that he was half-naked.

"I know I'm gorgeous, Izzy, but has anyone ever told you that it's rude to stare?" Jace inquired as he leaned back against the headboard of my bed. He folded his hands behind his head, stretching cockily.

Isabelle turned her gaze back to me, and I felt my face flush bright red. "I found him." I announced. I shrugged my shoulders in what I hoped was and innocent way.

"Nice try, Clary." Isabelle said recovering her composure. "But I am not going to let you forget this." With that, she turned and walked away; calling over her shoulder, "Return him when you're done!"

Great. Just great. Isabelle was going to tell Simon and Alec and Simon would tell Maia and Alec would tell Magnus and soon everyone would think that Jace and I were sleeping together. Then again, most of them had already assumed that. My head was beginning to hurt. I needed a shower to clear it. Ignoring Jace's laughter, I slammed the door behind me and left my room.

Thirty minutes later, I was sparkly clean and bored. I decided not to go back to my room because I told myself that I was still mad at Jace. I didn't want to be roped into shopping with Isabelle, so I avoided the places that I assumed she might be. That basically left me with nothing to do. No, I remembered. I had something to do. It involved a ring, a demon, and hopefully some answers.

And that was how I found myself in the seemingly abandoned part of the Institute standing in front of a cage very similar to the one that Imogen Herondale had place Jace inside of a little over a year ago. The occupant of the cage was staring at me in a way that was creeping me out. I reassured myself that it couldn't get out of the cage.

I was so jumpy that I almost dropped the necklace that held both the Morgenstern on and the one I planned on trying out. The demon continued to stare fixedly at me without ever saying a word. As I looked at it, its form shimmered from human to something otherworldly and back again in a thoroughly disturbing fashion. I opened the clasp of the necklace and slipped the thought-controlling one off. Re-clasping the chain, I put it back on.

I looked down at the ring in my hand for a moment, studiously ignoring the creepy demon before I started to slip it on. I was so tense that when a large hand came down on my shoulder, I impulsively screamed.


	31. Chapter 31

_I was so tense that when a large hand came down on my shoulder I impulsively screamed._

I tried to ignore the panic that surfaced to the forefront of my mind and took a deep breath. Clutching the ring tightly in my hand, I pulled away from the hand on my shoulder. I mentally prepared for an attack as I spun around to face my assailant.

Only to find myself face to face with a five foot eleven blonde hottie.

"Calm down, Clary." He said reassuringly. "It's only me." I closed my eyes and let out a small sigh of relief. It was Jace. Only Jace.

"How many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?" I asked, my nerves making my tone sharp.

"Angel, Clary." He looked hurt. "I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

A twinge of guilt pulled at me at the hurt puppy look on his flawless face. Running a hand over my face tiredly, I said, "No, it's fine. Sorry I snapped at you."

He shook it off with a grin. "So, have you made any progress on the demon front?" He asked curiously. He looked at me expectantly, waiting for an answer.

"Umm... not really." I said uncomfortably. Jace just looked at me for a moment, and I just knew he was going to call me out on acting weird.

"That is what you were doing in here, wasn't it?" He asked. In typical Jace fashion, he sounded bored.

"Of course," I said. I hoped my voice didn't give my deception away. Jace didn't seem at all suspicious, and I almost breathed a sigh of relief as I realized he was going to let it go.

"What is that in your hand?" He asked abruptly. I flinched and clenched my hand into a fist. The nervous gesture gave me away.

"It's nothing," I told him, my voice coming out even this time. "And yes, I was trying to learn more about the demon." I even managed a smile, glad that my voice was once again under control.

"Clary, did you really think I wouldn't notice whatever is your trying to hide?" Jace asked as if I hadn't said anything. My blonde shadowhunter knew me well enough to be able to tell when I was lying and I knew that it wasn't even worth a try.

Sighing loudly, I held my hand out palm up. Jace's eyes widened as they landed on the ring. "Is that…?" He asked. His eyes flicked from my face to my palm and back again. I nodded. "What were you doing?" He began. I saw the pieces click together in his mind as his expression cleared and he seemed to realize exactly what I was doing. His eyes went straight to the ever-silent demon.

I followed his gaze with my eyes until I saw the demon. At the moment, it looked reminiscent of the first time we had seen Botis. As we watched, it glowed and changed shape from human to demon. Its skin flashed different colors, but it didn't have the evil serpentine beauty of Botis. This demon glowed garishly and the colors seemed dull in comparison.

Jace and I watched it silently, both realizing that it had heard our whole conversation. Judging from his expression, Jace hadn't even noticed the demon's presence before. Without another word, he took hold of my arm and pulled me from the room. Slamming the door behind up, he let go of me as abruptly as he had grabbed me.

"What were you going to do?" He asked. Jace was good at masking his emotions, but I knew him well enough to be able to tell that he was angry. Gone was the sweet Jace that had woken up with me and in his place was a disapproving avenging angel.

"Nothing." I said innocently. "I was just studying the demon. Since when has that been a crime?"

"I asked you a question, Clary." Jace told me softly. "I'd appreciate it if you gave me an honest answer." He met my green eyes with his tawny ones and I knew now wasn't a time to push him.

"Fine." I sighed. "I was going to use it."

"It?" He asked frowning. "The ring?" I nodded and that only served to make him more upset. "So let me get this straight, you were going to try on an evil demonic ring that may or may not allow you to control demons' thoughts in order to get information out of the one in there, regardless to whatever consequences it may have?" I didn't answer and instead met his eyes defiantly. "And you weren't going to tell me about it?"

"You wouldn't let me do it." I pointed out.

"Of course I won't let you do it." Jace growled. He looked at me as if I was insane for ever entertaining that notion.

"Exactly. That's why I wouldn't tell you." I pushed my red hair out of my eyes and folded my arms across my chest. Classic defensive posture. "Because I knew you'd insist on protecting me or something stupid like that."

"How is refusing to let you get hurt stupid?" He demanded. "You are not putting that thing on. If I have to tie you up and sit on you until this insane whim of yours passes, you are not going to do it."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "It's stupid," I said tightly. "Because you wouldn't hesitate to do something like that, but when I suggest it, it's suddenly too dangerous. I'm just as much of a shadowhunter as you are!"

"I can't let you get yourself killed!" He burst out.

The vulnerability that he hardly ever showed was creeping into his voice, more so by the second, and I didn't have an answer to that. We stood only inches apart, both breathing heavily, each refusing to back down.

"I'm going to do it whether I have your permission or not." I warned him finally. "If you want, you can watch. That way you'll be able to protect me, and I can do whatever I have to."

I could tell by his expression that he was still going to say no, so I decided to try a different tactic. "Wouldn't you rather be there to watch over me?" I asked.

"I'm not going to let you do it." He repeated.

"I don't see how you can stop me." I countered.

It finally seemed to sink in that this was something I was not going to back down on. He looked pensive for a moment as if weighing the chance of keeping me from doing it. "Fine." He said shortly. "Let's do this."

He pulled open the door and held it so that I could go through first. I met his eyes briefly and wasn't surprised to find him frowning. Jace almost always got his way, so when he didn't; he was a big baby about it. Deciding not to push him further, I stepped through the doorway. Jace followed me and let the door slam behind us.

Sitting in the exact same position it had been in when we left was the demon. He- it- glared up at defiantly. "Where's Botis?" Jace demanded of the demon. The demon made no move to answer, and I knew that it couldn't even if it wanted to. Jace rapidly fired a few more questions at it, and the demon mouthed something foul. "Why isn't he saying anything?" Jace asked me frustratedly.

I bit back a grin, wondering if I should show him or just let him figure it out himself. When Alec had first locked the demon in the cage, it had screamed and threatened us loudly enough to be heard all across the Institute. I quickly remedied this problem by creating a silencing rune and having Alec draw it on the demon's cage. Needless to say, Jace didn't know this.

I decided to take pity on him. "Because it can't," I pulled my stele from my pocked and traced the rune.

"Oh," Jace said sheepishly. He turned back to the demon and asked the questions again. The demon still didn't answer.

"I don't think it's going to answer." I informed my boyfriend.

He frowned disapprovingly at me, but said, "I guess you should go ahead and put on the ring then."

"Okay."

I took a deep breath and let it out. Too aware of the pairs of eye watching me, I slipped the ring onto my finger and waited. Just like before, nothing happened. I turned to Jace to tell him it wasn't working, but almost as soon as I did, I felt something in the room shift. My head started to hurt and the silence of the room became overwhelming. The only thing I could hear was the beating of my heart. The pounding in my head only grew louder. It seemed to echo around me.

"Clary," Jace said nervously. His voice seemed to come from far away. "Clary are you okay?"

As suddenly as it had come, the pounding was gone and I found myself blinking against the light of the room.

"Clary." Jace sounded really worried now. He took hold of me by the shoulder and lifted my chin. Our eyes met and I was flooded with a barrage of feelings. The strongest of which was fear. It wasn't a fear of the demon or for myself. I was afraid for someone else, though I had no idea who.

I closed my eyes to block it out and the flash was gone. As I opened my eyes, it suddenly occurred to me that the fear wasn't mine. It belonged to Jace. I couldn't hold back the smile that came with this discovery.

"Jace, I'm okay," I reassured him. My voice was loud in the silent room. "It worked." He studied me for a minute as if he didn't quite believe that I was all right.

I met his eyes and whatever he found in my gaze must have reassured him, because he asked, "Is that it? No flash of light, no stuff blowing up, no shape shifting?" I could have sworn he actually sounded disappointed.

I rolled my eyes. "You are such a guy, Jace." He raised an eyebrow at my statement and I felt the need to clarify. "Sometimes, less is more."

He smiled and the tension between us was gone. "So," he changed the subject. "Whose mind did you control, mine or the demon's?"

"Neither," I said. He was so adorable when he genuinely smiled. I was so used to receiving grins or smirks that I felt the urge to reach out and caress his face. I shook this urge off and tried to focus. "We were right; it does more than just control minds."

"Really?" He looked intrigued. It was another of Jace's many attractive expressions. "So what did you do?"

"I read your mind for, like, two seconds." I told him.

"So what am I thinking now?" He asked with a grin.

I had a feeling that I probably didn't want to know, but I decided to humor him. Staring into Jace's tawny eyes, I concentrated on reading his thoughts. Soon enough, I was rewarded with a picture. Unsurprisingly, it was of me. In the picture, I was wearing the same black silk dress I had worn the night Alec had killed his first demon. The scene was an easy one to recognize, I was standing in the doorway of Jace's room and he was offering me the Seraph blade that I now carried with me everywhere. My attention was drawn away from the scene by the sound of Jace's voice in my head.

_You know what I wanted to do right then? _Jace thought. I could hear the grin in his voice as he continued; _I really wanted to do this._

The Jace in the scene took a step forward and kissed me. It was so weird to see myself through Jace's eyes. He saw a girl with bright red hair like a meteor trail and smoky green eyes, and exotic creature that burned like an eager flame. To him, I was stunning. As I watched, Jace pulled the other me into his room and slammed the door behind us.

I tore my gaze away from the real Jace and pulled out of the edited memory to find him smirking at me. "I take it you saw that?" He looked smug.

He leaned down so that his face was inches from mine. Leaning forward to bring my mouth closer to his, I said, "Not now, Jace. We have a job to do." I turned away from him, leaving him with his jaw hanging open. It was rare when I refused to kiss Jace and I had to admit that I wanted to even now, but the presence of the demon kind of ruined the mood.

I turned to face the caged demon. "Now," I said decisively. "Let's start."

The demon glared at me from its seat in the cage. At least, I thought it was glaring. I couldn't really tell because it was in demon form at the moment. It got to its feet and paced the cage restlessly. "What type of demon are you?" I demanded, figuring that I would start with the easiest question first.

I immediately felt a tug of power as the demon shifted back into humanoid form. The now-human-looking demon glared at me. Jumbled words slipped from its mouth, and it took me a minute to realize it was speaking its native language.

"In English." I ordered imperiously.

"Guerr." The word was pulled from its mouth almost forcefully, but once it was out, the demon kept talking. "You just wait, mortal fools." It burst out suddenly. "Botis will defeat you all. And once he finds me here, he will reward my loyalty."

Ignoring it, I gave Jace a triumphant glance. He was too busy frowning to notice. "Guerr… Guerr," he muttered under his breath. "I've never heard of a guerr demon," Jace told me, a serious expression covering his blonde features. "Get him to show us his true form."

I turned back to the glaring demon. "Show us what you look like normally," I ordered.

Almost immediately, I felt a tug of power and the demon once again began to glow. As we watched, it changed shape. The change seemed long and arduous compared to the shifting it exhibited only a few minutes ago, and the final product looked like a cross between some sort of Ravener demon and a Scorpios demon.

It had colorless scales covering its entire body, and at the center of its forehead were four big eyes. I thought it resembled some sort of lizard until I saw the long tail looming behind it. Like a Scorpios demon, it had a scorpion's tail. The overall effect was quite creepy, though not nearly as bad as some of the other demons I had seen. It didn't reek like a Greater Demon, but it definitely stunk. The smell of rotten eggs and skunk permeated the air.

Jace and I exchanged glances. "I've never seen one of those before, but there are so many demons out there, I probably haven't seen a fourth of them." He told me. He raised an eyebrow and I knew he was giving me permission to say whatever I felt needed to be asked.

"We know you work for Botis," I told the demon. "What exactly do you do for him?" At first the demon didn't answer and I wondered if the ring had ceased to work. Then I realized that I had put no force behind the question. I reached out with the ring and repeated it. This time, the feeling of power I was beginning to associate with using the ring washed over me.

"I am a part of his military council." The Guerr demon told me. The words sounded odd, as if its Guerr-mouth was not made for speaking our language.

"Tell me more about this council."

The demon's tail flicked restlessly behind its head, but it answered nonetheless. "To be a part of the council, a demon must have at least minimal shapeshifting abilities. This excludes many types of demons from Raveners to Ahiab demons. There are four major demon councils. These are the councils of Asmoday, Cacus, Belphegor, and Botis. Each is a demon competing for absolute power in the universe I come from. Everyone who doesn't pick a side is executed and those who do are often killed by those on other sides. I am a highly ranked councilor in the service of Botis. I was entrusted with the mission of capturing the one called Clary and taking her back to Botis so he could kill her and claim the power of the ring."

"Good, good." I smiled. That was much more information than I had bargained for. I felt that this interrogation was coming along nicely.


	32. Chapter 32

"Can anyone tell me why we're here again?" Magnus inquired loudly. Rather than answer, everyone in the subway car including his boyfriend ignored him. We were all a little bit preoccupied.

Isabelle and Jace were arguing noisily over a map that they held between them. Alec was keeping an eye out for anything unusual, and I was watching for our stop on the subway. I studied the screen scrolling above Isabelle and Jace's heads for a moment, looking for a particular name. So far it hadn't shown up.

"The map is upside down." Jace insisted. He and Isabelle wouldn't shut up and they were distracting me from the screen.

"No, it's not!" Isabelle countered emphatically. "I know how to read a map, you jerk."

"I am not a jerk." Jace snatched the map from her grip. "But I am a guy. And I don't need a map. I know we're on the right car." So saying, he crumpled the map and grinned triumphantly. The doors slid shut and the subway was off.

"It's okay," Jace said smugly. "You don't have to thank me. I have enough fans as it is."

"Don't flatter yourself, Jace." Isabelle told him superiorly. "The only fan you have is the one at home on your ceiling."

"Oh, I have tons of fans." He shot a grin at me. "And Clary is my number one." I snorted and turned back to the screen.

Isabelle glared at him. "Does the word narcissistic mean anything to you?" She asked. She attempted to flatten out the crumpled subway map.

"Narci… what?" Jace asked. "Is that like that place with all the different animals that talk? And the lion and the four kids?"

"No, Jace." Isabelle rolled her eyes. "That's Narnia. And how do you even know what that is?" Jace wasn't big on electronics. When I pulled out my DVD player, he asked me if it did something cool like shoot lasers.

"Clary made me watch it." He was quick to point fingers.

"I let him pick." I told her. Jace frowned at me. Apparently it was an affront to his masculinity to watch movies about talking animals.

"It was between that and some chick flick about a girl who had a bunch of dresses." He said defensively. "Or at least, that's what I gathered from the title."

Isabelle turned to me. "Does he mean twenty-seven dresses?" She asked me. I nodded. "Oh, I love that movie!" She turned back to Jace. "It's about this girl who's been in tons of mundie weddings but never actually gotten married. And she falls in love with this guy."

Jace rolled his eyes. "That's how most chick stuff goes."

"You have something against love?" Isabelle narrowed her eyes at him. I gave Jace a pointed look as Magnus and Alec snickered at Jace putting his foot in his mouth.

"No, of course not." Jace sent a panicked glance for help to Alec who pointedly ignored it. "I mean, I love Clary." He got up and walked carefully across the ever-moving floor of the subway. He plopped down beside me and shot me a sweet smile. "It's just the real kind of love, not the corny movie kind." So saying, he put his arm around me and kissed me on the cheek.

"Nice save." I heard Magnus whisper.

I rolled my eyes, but I didn't push him away. In fact, I gave him a peck in return. Then I turned back to my job of checking the screen for our destination. The rest of them went back to arguing.

After two subway stops and five minutes of staring at the flashing schedule board, I had to admit that we were on the wrong subway. "Um… guys," I spoke up. Isabelle, Jace, and Magnus kept arguing. "Guys!" I said again. You'd think Jace, sitting so close that we were touching would be the one to pay attention, but only Alec turned to face me.

"Stop being such a jerk, Jace." Isabelle was saying.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not a jerk?" Jace said in a very jerk-like fashion. The other people sitting on the car had begun to stare. New Yorkers were used to finding strange sights on the subway, but that didn't mean they appreciated them.

"Like your opinion counts." Isabelle scoffed, oblivious to the stares of other passengers. "I'm sure Clary would agree with me."

"Can we go home now?" Magnus inquired of no one in particular.

"Clary doesn't think I'm a jerk." Jace said defensively. He turned to look at me for confirmation. "Do you, Clary?"

"Of course not, Jace." I said in a tone that said exactly the opposite. Every second, we were getting further and further from our destination. "But I really need to tell you-"

"See?" Jace cut me off with a triumphant grin in Isabelle's direction. "Clary doesn't think I'm a jerk."

"Yes, she does." Isabelle tossed her long dark hair over her shoulder. "She was being sarcastic." Isabelle and Jace continued to bicker back and forth while Alec stared disinterestedly out the window. Magnus had found a poster on the subway for proper hair care and was reading it avidly. I sighed.

"Isabelle. Jace." I called, trying to get their attention. They didn't hear me. "Guys!" I yelled over them. Everyone in the subway car turned to face me, except for two men sitting near the end of the car both focused on their ipods. I smiled apologetically at the annoyed looking guy with a pink Mohawk sitting a few seats away. Beside him was a tourist-looking family of five that was staring at us as if we were the most interesting things in the world. I turned to glare at Jace, the sparkly warlock, and the female shadowhunter. Basically, everyone but Alec. "Would it kill you to be a little more mature?" I demanded.

Magnus snorted. "Those two couldn't be less mature if they tried."

Jace smirked and said, "You obviously haven't seen Isabelle drunk. Nothing's mature about it except the way she cusses the next morning." Jace's crack earned a laugh from Magnus and a glare from Isabelle.

"At least when I get drunk I don't run down Madison Avenue naked," Isabelle retorted.

"That was one time!" Jace protested. "And I wasn't drunk." He must have been on something, because I knew Jace well enough to know that he wouldn't even consider doing something like that sober. Come to think of it, I did remember him mentioning something about fairie food at Taki's. Isabelle and Alec's grins told me they had both been witnesses to this strange sight and that they had enjoyed every minute of it.

"He wasn't drunk," Alec said conspiratorially to Magnus. "Just high on fairie food that I warned him not to eat."

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side." Jace protested. I sighed heavily. Though the fairie story was highly amusing, they had somehow managed to get completely off topic without even trying. That took talent. We probably weren't even in Manhattan anymore, but telling them that we needed to get off sometime soon would be helpful.

As if on cue, the subway car jerked to a stop and the doors slid open. Surprisingly, all faces turned to me. "Is this our stop?" Jace spoke up.

"That's what I was trying to tell you." I said frustratedly. "We're on the wrong subway."

By the time we had all filed off the subway and made it up the stairs to the street, I could hear the car we had been on pulling out of the station. When we got to the top of the stairs, I realized that we had left Alec and Jace behind. Isabelle, Magnus, and I turned around to go find them.

What we saw was not surprising. "Come on, Alec." Jace taunted more than cheered. "You can do it." Alec glowered at him. "Hey," Jace held his arms up innocently. "It's not my fault the thing's stuck."

Alec tried once again to push the spinny thing you had to walk through (I could never remember what it was called) that let you in or out of the subway boarding area. Since he was coming out and didn't have to swipe his card, he should be able to just walk out, but unsurprisingly Jace had his foot wedged in the gap. "Sorry, Alec." Jace said. "It's stuck."

"You've got your foot on it." Alec glared. Jace gave him an innocent, 'who, me?' look that quickly changed to a grin. "Let me out Jace." Alec complained.

"I'm not doing anything." Jace couldn't quite pull of the innocent look.

"Let him out." I ordered.

Surprisingly, Jace complied. He turned to give me a sad look. "Why did you have to ruin my fun, Clary?"

"Because you got us lost." I retorted. He started to say something but then seemed to think better of it. At least he was learning.

Alec made it out of the subway station and with one last glare at Jace, he walked over to Magnus to be comforted.

"Anyone have any idea what station we're at?" I asked hopefully. The answer was a unanimous no.

"Maybe we could find someone to ask if we look around." Isabelle suggested. I looked around doubtfully. I highly doubted the type of people you'd find around here were likely to help. We wandered around for a little while looking for help, only managing to get even more lost.

"It's official." Isabelle announced fifteen minutes later. She plopped down on a nearby curb. "We're lost."

"Really lost." I agreed, moving to sit down beside her. We were in some obscure part of the city that I had never heard of. Then again, I hadn't been very far away from my neighborhood in Brooklyn up until two years ago when I met Jace and the Lightwoods. Right now, I was pretty sure that we were somewhere in the Bronx, but I couldn't be sure for lack of any proper signs.

The curb Isabelle and I were sitting on was in front of a broken-down looking apartment building with a closed nail salon on the bottom floor. Across the street, there was another apartment with another closed store on the bottom floor. "Okay," I said, thinking out loud. "What are we going to do next? Maybe we should-"

"I have an idea." Jace interrupted.

"Don't talk to me when I'm talking to myself," I reprimanded him. He ignored me and continued to talk.

"Maybe we should get back on the subway." He suggested. "I mean, we can at least go back to where we got on if nothing else."

"Maybe the demon gave us crappy directions." Isabelle put in. She twirled a lock of hair around her finger as she spoke. "It seems like a demon thing to do."

"He didn't." I said shortly.

"But-" Isabelle started.

"Clary's right." Jace spoke up. "The demon gave us good directions, we just didn't follow them right."

Isabelle snorted and rose to her feet. "You mean, _you_ didn't follow them right." That's all it took and Isabelle and Jace were arguing again.

"Would you guys shut up?" Alec shouted over them.

"We came here to fight demons." I snapped, standing up. "Not to bicker like five year olds."

"I knew we forgot something." Jace returned.

I was really getting sick of his comebacks. I narrowed my eyes at him. "Watch your mouth, Jace. It would suck if my hand slipped and I accidentally bruised that precious face of yours." Jace's hand went involuntarily to his face and I thought he was going to be smart enough not to reply. Too bad I forgot to take into account the fact that Jace thought he always had to have the last word.

"Do you know how valuable this face is?" He asked. "People love this face. Some of them might take offense to it being damaged."

"You mean someone besides you?" I frowned and added, "I'm really getting tired of this crap, Jace."

"Crap?" He pretended to be hurt. "First you threaten to damage my face and then you call me crap. That was completely uncalled for, Clary." He really didn't know when to stop. I pretended not to see Magnus and the Lightwoods backing away from us warily.

"I swear Jace, if you say another word, I'm going to make you regret it."

"Sounds like there's trouble in paradise." I heard Magnus murmur to Alec. I spared him a glare before turning back to my annoying boyfriend.

"Will any word work or does it have to be one in particular?" Jace asked in an offhand tone of voice, completely ignoring my warning. "I kind of like the word quip. It has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" The last part was aimed at Alec who seemed to be studiously avoiding his gaze. "Why are you so mad anyway?" This was aimed at me.

"I'm mad," I bit out, taking a step forward. "Because of _you_, Jace Lightwood." I poked my finger into his chest and his eyes followed it. "You have no idea how annoying you are. First, you get us lost, out in the middle of nowhere. Now, you won't freaking shut up and its driving me crazy." I jabbed my finger into his chest a few more times for good measure.

His eyes lifted to meet mine and he said my name softly. Rather that ask what he wanted, I continued to glare at him. As I glared, a slow grin spread across his face. "You know," he said after a minute. "You're cute when you're angry."

I just glared harder. "Well then I'm about to get adorable, because I'm nowhere close to forgiving you."

"Forgiving me for what?" Jace asked. I couldn't believe he had the gall to ask that.

"I just told you what!" I yelled. "I could also tell you about twenty other reasons. The first of which being your stalker-ish presence in my bed yesterday morning!"

"Clary." Jace was still smiling and for some reason that ticked me off even more.

"Another is the way you manage to keep your room perfectly neat, but somehow you can never remember to flush the toilet. I mean, really Jace. It's not that hard. And then there's the way you always have a comeback for everything. You're _so _infuria-."

Before I could so much as blink, Jace's mouth had descended over mine and he was kissing me softly. Soon the kiss went from soft and sweet to something a bit more carnal as Jace opened his mouth against mine. I should have pulled away. I don't know why I didn't. …Okay, maybe I do. Jace was an amazing kisser. Every single time his mouth touched mine, I melted in his arms. He smiled against my lips and his arms went around me.

Too soon, it was over and Jace pulled back to give me a sweet smile. My mind was so focused on how absolutely hot he looked when he was being sweet that I completely forgot that I was supposed to be mad at him. "Jace," I began as I tried to remember what I had been about to say.

Jace's smile grew wider as he lowered his face to mine. "You talk too much," he whispered in my ear and then he was kissing me again. Have I mentioned that I love his kisses?

We were, as usual, interrupted by the clearing of a throat. This time, it was Magnus. "As sweet as that little display of affection was, I think we have more important things to worry about. Like getting out of this dump."

We ignored the warlock, and Jace rested his forehead against mine. "Just because you're a good kisser," I whispered in his ear, "Doesn't mean you're forgiven."

"Now, now Clary." He whispered back with his signature grin. "You and I both know that I'm much better than just a good kisser. I'm amazing." He smirked and added, "I could prove it to you if you'd like."

I tried not to encourage him, but I felt the corners of my mouth turning up in a smile. "Way to miss the point, Jace." I told him. My fingers played restlessly across his back as we looked into each others' eyes.

"Hello?" Magnus interrupted, yet again. From his tone of voice, I got the feeling that he had been trying to get our attention for a while. "Magnus the Magnificent would appreciate it if you would pay attention when he is speaking."

This time, Jace and I turned to face him. "I would hate to hurt your enormous ego by ignoring you." I told Magnus sarcastically. I do so love sarcasm.

Rather than take offense, Magnus looked smug. "That's the right attitude, Clary." He stated sounding completely serious. "Now, as I was saying."

"I think we should go that way," Isabelle interrupted. She motioned down the block where a single car was crossing at an intersection.

Magnus let out a growl. "What did I say about interrupting me?" The warlock's cat-like eyes narrowed into slits.

"You didn't say anything about interrupting," Jace put in. He had drawn his knife, as he had a habit of doing when he was bored, and was tossing it absentmindedly into the air. "Just ignoring you."

Magnus sighed. "Fine. Don't listen to my amazing plan. You can all get lost for all I care." Alec cleared his throat loudly and Magnus quickly added, "Except you Alliekins." He turned to beam at his boyfriend.

Jace made barfing noises as Alec and Magnus smiled at each other. "So, I take it everyone agrees to my plan?" Isabelle asked.

"What exactly was your plan, again?" I asked. "We never got all the details."

"We need to go that way," Isabelle motioned in the direction she had pointed earlier. "Because obviously there are actual people down there and we need directions. Then, we're going to continue with our previous plan of following the Guerr demon's instructions to wherever it is that the demon thinks we can find Botis."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Alec put in. He and Magnus had stopped staring at each other and were now paying attention to the matter at hand.

"Good," Isabelle gave him an approving smile. "All in favor say 'aye'."

"Aye," Alec, Magnus, and I agreed at once.

Jace, however, felt the need to add commentary to our vote. "What if we don't like the word aye? What's wrong with the word yes? I like the word yes."

I rolled my eyes. "Jace says aye." I translated.

"Then it's unanimous." Isabelle said cheerfully. "Let's go." So saying, she took off down the street. Magnus and Alec followed her, leaving Jace and me behind.

"So, about proving how great a kisser I am," Jace began, grinning. A little of his blonde hair fell into his eyes, giving him a slightly rumpled look I found very attractive. I pushed this thought away to keep from grabbing him and slamming my mouth against his in broad daylight in full view of his siblings. Instead, I focused on the fact that his cockiness was annoying and attractive at the same time.

Jace opened his mouth to continue, but before he could, I asked, "Anyone ever tell you that you're arrogant?"

"Me? Arrogant?" he scoffed. I just rolled my eyes and prayed that he wasn't serious. As we walked, he reached down and slipped his hand into mine and entangled our fingers.

"Jace?" I asked a few minutes later. I gave his had a gentle squeeze to get his attention.

"Yeah?" He grunted in response.

"I'm still mad at you." We were still lost, still far away from defeating the demon that had caused so much trouble, but I had to admit that being lost with Jace might not be so bad.


	33. Chapter 33

_**I know, I know. Bad me. I need to update more.  
Also, this chapter has a slight spoiler for the fourth twilight book in it, just saying, so if you haven't read it, you might want to skip over the part where Jace says, "You know I was reading this book the other day." And skip down to where Isabelle says, "I don't hold grudges." **_

We started to walk but after only a mile, Isabelle stopped. Alec, who was walking directly behind her, ran into her back. "Why are we stopping?" Jace demanded from his spot beside me.

Isabelle looked queasy as she lifted a hand to cover her stomach. "I don't feel so good." She said in a voice that sounded almost meek. It was that more than anything that caught our attention. Isabelle didn't often play damsel in distress, so we knew something was wrong.

"Are you okay?" Alec looked concerned.

She frowned at him. "I'll be fine. I just need a minute." As we watched, she only became more and more green.

"Maybe you should sit down," Alec suggested. He held out and arm to steady her. At the moment, Isabelle was in no mood to argue. She took the arm he proffered with a weak grin.

"I'm going to be fine." She said again, though she sounded less sure of herself this time. "I just-" That was all she got out before her body convulsed and her breakfast made an appearance on the curb in front of her.

"Oh, wow." Magnus was the first to speak. He blinked rapidly as if that would clear the sight of what he had just seen. We all stood in shock for a moment, not knowing what to do. Finally, Magnus offered a suggestion. "Someone should help her," he suggested offhandedly. His tone of voice made it obvious that he had no intention of doing it himself.

Alec shot his boyfriend a disgusted look as he moved to do just that. He looked as if he wanted to puke himself, but reached forward gently to pull his sister's hair out of the way. I felt a smile tug at the corners of my lips at his brotherly gesture.

Deciding that once she was well again Isabelle would not appreciate being stared at as she threw up, I decided to distract the boys. "So," I began, turning to Jace and Magnus. "Since Isabelle is incapacitated at the moment, someone needs to go see if there's anything that way."

I looked from Magnus to Jace and back again before saying, "I nominate Jace."

"Blondie claims to be great at everything." Magnus agreed quickly. "He should be able to walk that far easily."

"No, tha-" Jace began.

"You have to admit that you're the best one for the job, Jace." I told him, hoping the sugary compliment would convince him where other modes of persuasion would fail. Laying it on thickly, I added, "If anyone would be able to sweet-talk someone into giving us directions it would be you."

Jace shot me a smirk and leaned forward to pick up a strand of my hair. He played with it a minute before looking up to meet my eyes. "Flattery will get you everywhere," he whispered, his lips touching my ear.

I found myself instinctively leaning closer to him. Mmmm. He always smelled so good; clean and masculine with the smell of newly applied marks just adding to his hotness. I turned my face so that our mouths could meet and I felt an electric spark go though me as we kissed. Only then did I realize what he was doing. I pulled out of his reach and copied his smirk. "You're only proving me right, Jace." I reprimanded him. "And based on the fact that I'm right, I'm overruling you."

He started to object again, but then he took another look at Isabelle. "On second thought," he announced, sounding relieved, "Score one for peer pressure; I'll do it."

"Go down to a block or two and you should find some-" I started, but when I turned back to Jace, he was already gone leaving me here with a morning-sick shadowhunter, a sparkly walock, and a another slightly more normal shadowhunter. I began to realize why Jace was so eager to leave.

Magnus was eyeing Isabelle with a sort of disgusted fascination. "That looks gross." He told me, wrinkling his nose.

"That's because its puke." I reminded him.

"Don't be cute." Magnus reprimanded, turning to face me. Though his tone was chastising, his face held a hint of his usual cat-like grin. "That is a job reserved for me." Almost as an afterthought he added, "Oh, and Alec too."

"Oh yes, Magnus," I agreed with a smirk that was probably a lot like the one that often graced Jace's face. "You are absolutely adorable."

"Your sarcasm is not appreciated, Clary dearest." Magnus complained. I sighed. If Jace didn't get back soon, this was going to be a long day.

"Magnus, come help me." Alec called to the sparkly warlock before Magnus could say anything else.

Magnus' flawless features were ruined as he wrinkled his nose in a frown. "I have three principles, Alec. One; I must do my makeup and clothes before anyone sees me in the morning-"

"But I see you like that all the time." Alec interrupted.

Magnus frowned at him. "I was talking, Allie. And besides, you don't count." From down the sidewalk it was hard to make out the words that Alec muttered, but it sounded like something about the difference between a compliment and insult.

"As I was saying," Magnus continued, "My first principle is that I must be fully dressed and made up before anyone can see me in the morning. The second is that anyone who hurts my Alliekins will find themselves dying a very slow, painful death." I pretended not to see Alec wince as I grinned at Magnus' second "principle". "And third, the principle that applies in this situation, is that I refuse under any circumstances to clean up puke, anything Isabelle cooks, or other disgusting spilled things."

"Magnus-" Alec started.

"Those are my principles." Magnus finished before Alec could say another word. "And if you don't like them, well, I can think of more."

"More what?" Another voice interrupted. We all turned around to find Jace leaning against a street sign looking bored.

"Never mind that," Magnus said dismissively. "Did you find a way out of this place?"

"Of course." Jace grinned smugly. "I'm just that awesome."

Magnus snorted. "Someone has a very high opinion of himself." Jace just grinned.

"You have no room to talk, Magnus." Isabelle informed them, wiping the side of her face with a weak grin. "The two of you have such big egos, I'm surprised the rest of have any space to breathe."

"She has a point." I pointed out.

"You know, I was reading this book the other day." Jace said. He ignored the gasp that came from both Magnus and Isabelle as he said that he had read a book. "And this vampire dude got a human girl pregnant. When their baby came out, it was like a really fast-growing human with fangs that drank blood like a vampire." He looked down and examined his nails casually as he finished. "Wonder if your baby will be like that."

Isabelle's eyes narrowed into a glare as she eyed her adopted brother. "I don't hold grudges, Jace." She said with a scary smile. "I get even. Just something you might want to remember in the future."

Jace opened his mouth to retort, but before he could Magnus blurted. "You read Twilight?" He let out a loud laugh. "By the angel, this is priceless. Jace Lightwood, the most egotistical macho shadowhunter on the planet, read a vampire romance book."

Jace glared at the hysterical warlock. "I didn't say I enjoyed it." He said defensively. "I lost a bet."

"With. Who?" Magnus demanded between bouts of laughter.

"With… with Alec." Jace said decisively.

From his seat on the curb next to Isabelle, Alec shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jace but even I can't help you out there. I dared you to tear up Isabelle's copy, not read it." This got his a glare from his pregnant sister and even more laughter from his boyfriend.

Jace gave Alec a betrayed look. "All right, fine." He admitted. "I did read it for fun. But it was stupid. I mean, what kind of guy wants a girl without a single original thought in her head?" Jace's normal nonchalant tone was now in major defensive mode. "And what kind of girl wants a vampire? Everyone knows Downworlders are…" a glare from his adopted brother cut him off. "I meant that… well, never mind."

Deciding that I should probably help my boyfriend out of the uncomfortable predicament that he had gotten himself in, I changed the subject. "So Jace, what did you find?"

Jace shot me a grateful look and made his way closer to the rest of the group. "If we go that way," he pointed the way Isabelle had first suggested, "for about three blocks, then there's a neighborhood with people in it. It's just residential, but I figured we could ask someone there for directions."

"Isabelle?" Alec turned to his sister. "Are you going to be okay to walk that far?"

Without answering, Isabelle took a deep breath and climbed to her feet. Alec scrambled up after her and moved to take her arm. Isabelle pushed him off and took a step to test herself. Ignoring Alec's mother hen-like hovering, she took a few more steps.

Then, she turned decisively to face up. "I'm fine. I can definitely walk that far." She shot us all a reassuring look and none of us mentioned that she would have to do more than walk. The goal of this mission was to find Botis' portal where he was supposedly sending demon scouts into our world. Isabelle might have to fight before the day was over.

I pushed these thoughts away and followed Magnus as he set off in the direction of help. Alec and Isabelle stood slightly behind him, leaving Jace and I to take up the rear. Without saying a word, Jace slipped his hand back into mine and we set off again. It was quiet at first, but as we walked, we all fell into a rhythm. Isabelle took the lead as Magnus and Alec dropped back to walk together. Magnus and Alec were having another of their whispered conversations that they seemed to enjoy so much. Isabelle looked exceedingly bored as Jace and I struck up a conversation.

"I can't wait until all of this is over and we can go back to our normal lives." I sighed.

Jace snorted a laugh. "Normal? Since when have our lives over been normal?" I rolled my eyes.

"You know what I mean, Jace." I told him. The smile he gave me told me that he did understand. "I want to have at least one of those days where we have nothing to do and we just get to relax all day."

"All day?" Jace grinned. "I can think of better things to do with an empty day than relax. Want me to tell you about them?"

I shoved at him with exasperation. Most of it was faked. "I'm not sure if I want to hear your idea of a good way to spend a day, Mr.-I-think-killing-things-is-fun."

"Of course you do," Jace coaxed. "You love me."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. "That excuse only works so often Jace."

He squeezed my hand gently. "I happen to like that excuse. Or maybe I just like saying it." He shot me a sweet smile. "You love me. You love me. You love me." He said in sing-song tone of voice.

"Whoa, Jace do you sing like that in the shower?" Isabelle put in. "Because my ears are bleeding."

He frowned at her for ruining his fun. "Of course not," He replied. "I don't sing in the shower." I just looked at him. "All right," he consented. "Just a little. I half-sing in the shower."

I grinned at him. "There's no half-singing in the shower. You're either a rock star or an opera diva."

"So which is it?" Isabelle prodded. She turned to face me and we said in unison, "Rock star, definitely."

Jace frowned at both of us. "How about you, Clary?" Jace asked, trying to distract us. "Are you an opera diva or a rock star in the shower?" I tried not to notice the way his voice caressed the last three words as if he… well, I was just glad no one else noticed.

"Think fast," Isabelle suggested. "Patience is a virtue and you know how Jace feels about those."

Jace let go of my hand to reach in front of us and flip her off. "Rude!" Isabelle complained loudly.

"Hey, you guys!" Magnus called from behind us. "We're here."

We had made it three blocks away when, as promised, we saw the first signs of life. Dirty-faced children played in yards while a mother or two peered through the windows. This didn't exactly look like a dangerous part of town, but it definitely wasn't as safe as the neighborhood I had grown up in.

"Well, at least there are people here." Isabelle said with somewhat of a grimace.

While the laundry hung across balcony railings was not remarkable, something about this area caught my attention. Unlike the area we had been in a while ago, this neighborhood looked lived in. I could see the signs of everyday life here. The apartment buildings in this area were showing noticeable signs of wear. The bricks on some looked worn from lack of care and years of weather damage. One building's windows were completely boarded up.

"Let's go ask that lady," Isabelle suggested, motioning to the woman closest to us. At the moment, the woman was trying to tug two children in the direction of her apartment.

"I don't know." I said, not wanting to bother the already tired-looking woman. "What if-" But Isabelle had already taken off, leading Magnus and Alec after her. Jace went to follow them, but stopped to check on me.

"Come on," he held out his hand.

"All right." I followed them.

Fifteen minutes, three people, and a bunch of questions later, we had what we were looking for. We had directions to the street that I had "convinced" the Guerr demon to give us directions to. "Thank you!" Isabelle called to yet another tired-looking woman as she walked away. Magnus and Alec had gone back to whispering to each other and were distractedly following her.

I made to follow them, but Jace grabbed my hand and pulled me in the other direction. "What is it?" I demanded. He didn't answer, just continued tugging me after him. "They won't leave us," was all he said.

He wasn't satisfied until he had tugged me out of sight into one of the alleys behind and apartment building. Once there, he came to a stop and took me in his arms. "Jace, what is it?" I asked again.

"It's seems like it's been forever since I've just held you." He whispered into my hair. I snuggled closer to him. I always liked it when Jace was in a cuddly mood, but he had picked a really bad time for it.

"Jace, it's been like two days." I told him softly.

"I know, I know." He sighed. "You'd think that after a year of being together, I would be able to deal with it, but I can never seem to get enough."

Awww. He was so sweet. I kissed him softly on the lips. It was just a peck, but it still carried that spark I always got when kissing Jace."We have to go," I told him regretfully. "They're just going to come interrupt us again."

He didn't say anything, he just kissed me again, harder this time. He held my face between his palms and I melted into him. Every time my eyes flickered open, he was watching me, an unbearable gentleness in his eyes. I loved every moment of it.

At last, I backed away. But Jace wouldn't let go. "Jace." I chided softly. "You have to let go."

"I can't." He replied. I searched his eyes for any hint of what he was doing.

"Why not?" I asked, not sure if I wanted to know the answer.

I watched as his easy smirk slid over his finely-boned featured. His tawny eyes almost glowed with light in the dark alleyway. "Because," was his only reply.

"Jace." I snapped, quickly becoming frustrated. "I'm not in the mood to play games." We had a mission to do, and fooling around in the back of an alley was not a part of it.

"I'll stop bothering you if you play along." He offered. His smirk got even wider."Come on, Clary. You know you want to."

"Fine." I sighed. "What do you want Jace?"

"Another kiss." He said simply. My green eyes bored into his golden ones as I tried to figure out if he was serious or not.

"Is that all?" I asked curiously. As far as I could tell, he was serious, but with Jace there was no telling.

"Of course," he said innocently. He shot me a sweet smile, knowing it would make me melt. It did, but only because Jace's face was so beautiful when he smiled. "You know you can't resist me. Seriously, what's to resist?"

"You mean besides your impatience, total lack of respect for authority, and the fact that you still haven't learned how to play well with others?" I retorted.

"Well, yeah. There's that." He agreed. "Now will you kiss me?"

Deciding to tease him a little more, I said, "Maybe. Maybe not."

Without waiting for me to make up my mind, Jace leaned down to touch his lips to mine. Our mouths met in the softest, featherlight touch and he drew me to him and began to back me up against the nearest wall, pinning me closer to him until I couldn't move, until he had me exactly where he wanted me to be. All of this without once pulling his mouth away from mine.

Then he started to really kiss me, making subtle pecking noises in my ear. Then he kissed sweet and tenderly along my jawline and down my neck, causing me to tilt my head back. He tugged lightly on my hair and I opened my eyes to meet his. Then, slowly as if I he might scare me away, he pecked me softly on the lips, letting his lips linger on mine. There were no words, no better way to communicate what we were feeling. He deepened the kiss and pulled me even closer.

Finally, when I was willing to do whatever he wanted, he pulled away. "I love you." He whispered softly in my ear. He let me go and with one last glance over his shoulder, headed out of the alley. I leaned against the wall for a moment, knowing if I tried to stand that my knees would give way. Then, with a shake of my head to clear it, I pushed myself off of the wall and followed Jace.

With Jace in front of me, I could never be afraid. It always felt safe to follow in his footsteps. I headed out of the alley after him and mentally prepared myself to deal with the rest of our demon hunting group.

Only to find that they weren't there.

_**Ahh! Cliffhanger!**_


	34. Chapter 34

**An extra long chapter this time. Enjoy. **

_I headed out of the alley after him and mentally prepared myself to deal with the rest of our demon hunting group. _

_Only to find that they weren't there._

"Where did everyone go?" I asked curiously, catching up to Jace. I had come out of the alley to find Izzy, Alec, and Magnus nowhere in sight.

"I'm not sure." Jace replied calmly. He was looking around methodically, as if they would just randomly pop up.

"You lost them, didn't you?" I guessed. Jace didn't open his mouth, but the look on his face was all the answer I needed. "I distinctly remember hearing you say that they wouldn't leave us, Jace."

"They can't have gotten too far." He assured me with his usual nonchalance. "Just calm down and we'll find them."

I found this statement highly unlikely. From the spot where I was standing, I could see for at least a mile down the street we were on. No matter which way I looked, I couldn't see them.

"Jace, just give it up." I sighed. "Either they left us behind or they're hiding in the bushes planning to jump out and scare us as soon as we walk by." He gave me an Alec-like scowl and went back to his search. Just to tick him off, I added, "Personally, I'm leaning towards the first." He scowled again.

"What?" I asked innocently. "It's not my fault. We wouldn't even be separated from them if _someone_ hadn't insisted on dragging me into a dark, deserted alley to make out."

Turning to face me this time, Jace smirked. For some reason I found that more reassuring than any words he could have said. I could always count on him to be his usual cocky self even in times of crisis. "You enjoyed it as much as I did." Jace told me, his smirk growing wider. "I seem to remember your tongue finding its way into my mouth at one point."

It was my turn to scowl. "Screw you, Jace."

"You offering?" He asked, grinning in return. His eyes drifted lazily over my body, stroking me in a way that was almost tangible. "Because I'm definitely up for it."

Mental note: never mention screwing and Jace in the same sentence again. Especially if he's nearby. "Do you have to be perverted all the time?" I demanded, deciding to use my indignation to cover up the fact that his proposition actually didn't sound all that bad. "We're lost in the middle of nowhere and you're standing there making jokes about sex."

"Come on, Clary. I was only trying to lighten the mood." His normal grin replaced the knowing smirk he had worn only moments before. "Which isn't say that I would be opposed to actually doing that…" Seeing my frown, he quickly recovered. "But that's beside the point. As I was saying before… What, exactly, was I saying before?"

"Nice save, Jace." I laughed at his lame attempt to cover his butt. "You were saying something about us finding the Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus."

"Oh yeah. We should be fine if we can remember the directions those women gave us." He took another look around for the rest of our party, just in case.

"That's great." I agreed easily. "There's just one problem."

He pulled his gaze away from the surrounding buildings, his golden eyes meeting mine. "What's that?" He asked.

"I can't remember the directions."

"Great," Jace sighed. "We're screwed."

Suddenly, an idea occurred to me. Like any American teenager, I had a cell phone. Though I wasn't as attached to mine as some, I carried it around on a regular basis. Right now, I could feel it in the pocket of my jeans.

"Hey, Jace." I pulled it out, drawing his attention away from his search for the others. "Wait a second, I have an idea." I quickly dialed the phone number Magnus had given me for "emergency purposes only". At the time, I figured he meant hair and wardrobe related emergencies, but I figured this was as good a time to use it as any. I put the phone to my ear and waited for it to start ringing. On cue, it rang once. Then the noise cut off. "Stupid phone," I muttered. I help it up to see what was wrong with it, squinting to read the small screen in the bright sunlight. It didn't take me long to figure out what the problem was.

My phone was dead.

I swore under my breath. Out all the times for my phone to die, it had to be now. Why couldn't it have died some other time? Like when Simon wanted advice on what to do in one of his video games that he seemed to think I cared about? Or when Isabelle called me to complain about Simon?

"What's that?" Jace's voice cut through my inner tirade.

"This?" I questioned, holding up the phone. I knew Jace was a little slow when it came to all things electronic, but even he had to know what a cell phone was. "It's a magical device that lets you talk to people without actually being near them." Jace frowned at me as if I were making fun of him.

"Here, hold it." I thrust it at him in frustration.

He caught the phone and stared at it as if it might bite him. He studied it for a minute before looking back at me. "It doesn't do anything." He said accusingly.

"That's because it's dead."

"It's dead?" Jace asked, examining the device in his hand warily. "How can it be dead if it was never alive?"

"Semantics, Jace." I rolled my eyes at him. "I only mean that the battery was dead."

"What does it _really_ do when it's not… dead?" He demanded. "Is it some sort of broken sensor?"

I stifled a laugh at Jace's technologically-challenged comment. "Not exactly," I told him. "It's more of a magical device that lets you talk to people."

"Why would someone need this? To talk to someone all you have to do is walk up to them." Jace was still eyeing the phone as if it might explode at any second.

"It lets you talk to people who _aren't _in the same room as you, Jace." I said exasperatedly. Then, as an afterthought I added, "I take it this means you don't have a cell phone?"

"Is that what this is?" Jace was squinting at my cell with a fascinated expression on his face. "A cell phone?"

"Uh-huh." I replied absentmindedly. Because Jace didn't have a phone, we had no way of getting in touch with the others. That meant that the only way we were going to get out of here was if one of us could remember the directions. I couldn't remember all of them, and from Jace's previous, "We're screwed," I assumed that he couldn't remember any. Luckily, I could at least remember the street where we were supposed to end up.

"Hey, Jace." I said, trying to draw his attention away from my phone. He ignored me and continued staring at it. "Here's the plan…" I proceeded to explain to him my idea that if we could find a subway station, maybe we could find a map or see the route listed on a wall. It was the easiest way to find the street where we were going, and if we got lucky, maybe the subway's route would even take us there. "And that is what we're going to do." I said, finally finishing. "Jace, did you get all of that?"

"Of course." Jace replied. He had finally taken his eyes off of my cell phone, and seemed to be paying attention. "Clary?"

"Yeah?"

He looked into my green eyes with a seriousness I rarely saw. "Don't worry, okay?" He spoke softly in his attempt to reassure me, and his eyes were like molten gold as he gazed at me intently. "We'll find them. And we'll kill Botis, too."

"I'm not worried." I smiled up at my guardian angel. "I have faith in us. I have faith in you."

"Good." Jace let out a relieved sigh and took my hand, as had become our custom.

"Good." I repeated to myself. "Good."

Two minutes into our walk, he had drawn his knife from its sheath and was twirling it around. Jace had many talents, and using weapons was definitely one of them. But it was more than that. Jace's love for knives and other dangerous things was more of a passion. He was the only one I knew who could play with a seraph blade like it was a toy. Sure, Isabelle and Alec were strong and intimidating, but unlike Jace, neither of them played with weapons just for the heck of it.

Five minutes later, Jace had another question.

"Clary." He spoke up again.

"Hmmm?" I was only half paying attention to his question, putting more effort into watching him absentmindedly throw his knife into the air and catch it.

"What are we doing again?"

"Jace!" I cried, immediately snapping out of my trance. Gone were the mushy emotions I had been feeling for him only moments before. "I just explained this to you like five minutes ago!"

"I was only half listening." He defended. In response to my frown, he added, "What? It's better than not listening at all." I told him to go do something anatomically impossible, belatedly remembering my mental note about not mentioning screwing and Jace in the same sentence. Oops.

My blonde boyfriend gave me a lascivious look. "You've got quite a mouth there, Clary." He said, eyeing my lips. "Want me to find you something useful to do with it?"

I just glared. "We are going to find a subway station." I informed him haughtily. "And then, we are going to find out where Isabelle, Magnus, and Alec went."

"Oh." Jace replied, that cocky smile once again finding its way to his lips. "Is this going to turn into one of those guy/girl things where we stop and ask for directions?"

"No," I declared, shoving lightly at his arm. "Because unlike you, _I_ actually know where we're going." Okay, maybe I didn't know where we were going. But still. I couldn't just let him get away with something like that.

"There's no need to be nasty." Jace teased. He gave a devious smile and hissed like a cat, miming striking claws. "Put away your claws, kitty cat, and tell me where we're going."

That was when I saw it. Sitting on the corner of the street directly behind Jace was our salvation. A subway station. I stopped dead. "Clary?" Jace waved a hand in front of my face. "Clarissa Fray? I know I'm gorgeous, but in polite society, it's considered rude to stare." His statement snapped me out of my trance.

"Too bad we're not in polite society," I returned.

Jace flashed a crooked smile and asked mischievously, "Have you been a naughty little girl, Clary?" He looked at me with mock surprise, a touch of laughter sparking in his eyes.

"Believe it or not, I was talking about you." I told him with a slightly less cocky smile of my own. "But if you'd like to talk about me, you might as well start with a thank you."

"Thank you?" Jace furrowed his brow. "For what?"

"For saving your butt." I replied smugly. I pointed at the large subway sign behind him.

The subway was filled with the most random group of people I had ever seen. Sprawling across the three seats next to the entrance was a sleeping man wearing nothing but a toga made of a bed sheet. On the other side of the car was a women holding a bag full of what looked like plastic doll legs and a few seats down from her were two older women clutching two cats a piece.

It got weirder. Next to the sleeping man was another older man dressed in a Twilight tank top much too small for him and a pair of what are often described as 'booty shorts'. Creepy. In a corner, a group of teenagers were seated in a circle doing what looked like yoga poses. And in a seat to himself was a man sporting the top half of a suit. As pants, he was wearing only a pair of dinosaur covered underwear.

As soon as we walked onto the car, Jace turned around to walk right back off.

"Jace." I hissed, catching him by his collar, "Don't be rude."

"Avoiding a subway car full of crazy people who look like they want to kill us is not rude. It's smart." He hissed back. Rolling my eyes, I tugged him along by his collar to an empty seat close to the women with the bag of plastic doll parts.

"Hello!" The woman replied cheerily with a Brooklyn accent. "Would you like a leg?" She held out one of the plastic legs in my direction. I scooted closer to Jace. "They're symbols." She smiled creepy toothless smile. "They symbolize the significance of…" I stopped listening to the crazy woman as she droned on and on about some weird religious significance for plastic legs.

I sighed. This subway ride couldn't be over soon enough.

After the longest ten minutes of my life, the subway doors finally slid open. "Thank God!" Jace exclaimed, rushing off of the subway and making a show of hugging the sign that announced the street name.

"_Jace_." I scolded. "Don't be disrespectful."

"What?" He asked defensively. "If God is watching us, the least we can do is be entertaining. Another minute on that thing and my powers of entertainment would have died completely."

I rolled my eyes. "It wasn't that bad."

"Yes, it was." Jace argued. "You're only saying that because getting on that stupid subway was your idea."

"Okay," I conceded. "Maybe it was that bad."

"You think?" Jace agreed. "And you didn't even have to sit by Stan."

I tried to hold back my laugh at the tragic look on his face. "Stan?" I asked.

"Yes, Stan." Jace agreed, looking grievous. "Aka, the man wearing the twilight shirt and…" He paused to make a pained face. "Inadequate pants."

"Oh, you mean the guy in daisy dukes?" I asked. I don't know how I managed to keep a straight face. "He did look kind of weird."

"I didn't even know they made shorts like that for guys." Jace actually looked alarmed. "And I _am _a guy."

"They don't." I informed him, no longer able to hold back my grin. "Did you see the label. Those are girl's shorts. In fact, I have a pair of shorts from that brand."

He muttered something unintelligible under his breath that sounded like a cuss word. Louder, he added, "He hit on me! Did you not see that?"

"Sorry, I was a little busy avoiding the crazy woman trying to give me doll parts." I told him. Truthfully, I regretted missing it. From Jace's mortified look, it was probably hilarious. "I take it you've never had another guy hit on you before?"

He glared at me. "Unfortunately, I have. A bunch of random guys in a bar, and Magnus once after he got into a fight with Alec. Then again, he was so drunk he couldn't see straight."

"Do I get to hear this story about a bunch of random guys in a bar trying to steal my boyfriend?" I asked curiously. Jace's responding scowl reminded me of Alec.

"It was a gay bar." He told me by way of explanation.

"Okay, explain to me why you were in a gay bar again?"

"Magnus and Alec dragged me there against my will. It was horrible and now I'm scarred for life. I try to repress the memory. One of them even tried to give me a lap dance." He sounded horrified. I wondered if it would be insensitive of me to laugh.

"Poor Jace," I said. "Is there any way I could relieve you of these scars?"

The scowl on his face faded. "Well, you could start by kissing me." His usual grin reappeared as he added, "And when we get back to the Institute, you can model those shorts for me."

I gave him a peck on the cheek and raised my eyebrows. "We'll see about the shorts. You have to be good." I tugged at his arm. "Now let's go find the others."

It took Jace a while to stop complaining that he deserved a _real _kiss, but by the time he did, we were on the street the Guerr demon told us was near Botis' latest portal. Jace pulled his sensor from his pocket and began to check for demon energies. The sensor led us down an alley where the trail stopped dead.

"Great," I sighed. "What do we do now?"

Jace didn't seem to hear me. He was busy looking around. I watched him for a second as he studied the ground and the sensor screen methodically. After a moment, a slow smile spread across his face and I know that he had found something.

"What is it?" I asked interestedly. He pointed upward. My eyes followed his finger until I saw what he meant. Rusted and old looking, there was a fire escape about six feet from the ground with part of a ladder hanging down.

Jace could almost reach the ladder, but it would probably break under his weight. I, on the other hand, couldn't reach it at all. "Here, help me up." I told him. One of us had to reach the fire escape and sure wasn't about to lift Jace up. He would squish me.

Jace helped me up, though his hand placement was questionable. "Would you get your hand off of my butt?" I demanded, swatting at said hand.

"Why?" He asked insolently. "Am I distracting you?"

I decided that the best tactic would be to ignore him. Pulling my own sensor out of my pocket, I held it up to the fire escape and started scanning the area meticulously. Jace sighed. After a moment, I realized that the signal did seem the strongest on the fire escape. That was weird. Not many demons could use fire escapes. Only the shape shifting ones hand the right hands for it.

Jace sighed again, and I realized that the sigh was meant to signify something. "What is it now, Jace?" I asked suspiciously.

"Can you hurry up?" He complained. "You're starting to get heavy."

"You just want to be on top," I retorted. Too late, I noticed the blatant innuendo in my statement.

"Not necessarily," Jace replied, and I could hear the grin in his voice. "I'm open to trying new things."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as I often did around Jace. "Remind me again why I like you," I suggested, leaning forward carefully with the sensor.

"You want a list?" Jace asked as he squeezed my butt. "Because there are tons of reasons. I am highly intelligent, epically handsome, I can play the piano like a concert pianist, and I know just where to kiss you to get you to make that throaty noise I love so much."

All very good reasons, I silently conceded. "You're also vain, conceited, and majorly O.C.D." I reminded him, just to keep him humble.

My foot slipped a little and Jace's strong arm wrapped around my leg to reinforce my balance. "Amazing." His voice was slightly muffled due to the fact that my leg was pressed against his cheek.

"Thanks." I said. I reached down to stuff the sensor back in my pocket.

"No," Jace's laugh echoed in the empty alleyway. "You forgot to add amazing."

"Okay," I told him. "If you'll take your hand off of my butt and help me down, I'll add amazing to that list. If you're good, I may even give you another kiss."

"It's a de…" Jace began. Just as he was about to let me down, a blur shot around the building on the fire escape. The blur came to a screeching halt and we realized that it was a person. Or a thing. "What'cha doing?" The surprisingly youthful voice caused me to startle.

Jace's shadowhunter instincts immediately kicked in as he dropped into a fighting stance. Only it didn't quite work because he was holding me up. Actually, it didn't work at all. We both went toppling over, me landing flat on my back on top of Jace.

"Ow!" Jace groaned loudly. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I'm having a bit of a hard time breathing, so if you could get off of me, I'd be eternally grateful."

"Are you calling me fat?" I said, refusing to get off him. This was more from the fact that my whole body felt like one big bruise than the fact that I had taken offense at his statement.

"Of course not," Jace was quick to say. "I know better than to insinuate that a girl is fat." He shifted under me and scooped me up, gently setting me down beside him. "I told Isabelle that once when we were younger. She locked me in the cellar for a day and a half. I would've been in there longer if Alec hadn't found me and busted the lock." Jace climbed to his feet and held out a hand to help me up.

"What was that?" I asked, in reference to the thing that had cause our fall. We looked back up at the fire escape to see a small child perched on the edge of the platform. "Hello," the little girl called cheerfully. "Are you okay?"

I started to call back to her, but Jace whispered in my ear. "I have a bad feeling about this." He warned.

"It's just a little kid, Jace." I poked him in the side. Turning back to her, I called up, "Hello!"

The little girl flashed me a smile and began to clamber down the fire escape like a monkey. She was small with short black curls, and I figured she couldn't be older than ten. She reminded me of someone, but I couldn't quite figure out who. The girl finally came to a stop in front of us and looked up with clear dark eyes.

"What's your name?" I asked, ignoring the poke in the ribs Jace gave me.

"Malheureuse." She replied. "But you can call me Mal. You must not be from around here." She continued without taking a breath. "I haven't seen you around here before, and I see everyone that goes by."

"Mal-harry-what?" Jace interjected rudely. "What kind of a name is that?"

"Mal. Er. Uz." Mal repeated, sounding out the syllable in a perfect French accent. "It's French."

"French for what?" Jace asked. His tone was milder this time.

I had taken a year of French when I was still in school. I remembered enough to know that the word was feminine, but not enough to recognize it. "It means unhappy." Mal said quietly.

"What kind of person names their kid unhappy?" Jace's blonde brows knit together. This time, I could hear real sympathy in his voice.

The little girl let out a laugh. "My father. You wouldn't want to meet him. He doesn't like outsiders, and you're not from around here."

Just then, the sensor in Jace's hand went berserk. He frowned at the device. "I don't know what's wrong with it," he hit the screen twice and finally turned it off. "It must have broken when I fell." He stuffed the sensor into his pocket.

"Do you need help?" Mal asked cheerfully. "You looked lost. That was what caught my attention in the first place. Well, that and those marks on your skin." She waved a hand to indicate the runes that covered our arms.

"Marks." Jace was immediately on guard. "You can see our marks?"

"Of course I can see them." The little girl looked confused.

Jace and I exchanged worried glances. "But the only way she could see them…" I began.

"Was if she was a shadowhunter, a Downworlder, or a demon." Jace finished seriously. His hand was creeping almost involuntarily to the knife at his waistband.

"Well that's why I can see them," Mal said innocently. "I'm a demon."

**Ooh, another cliffhanger. Is Mal the innocent child that she seems or and evil demon out to take over the world? ... And that last sentence tells me I've been reading too many books lately. Oh, well. Bye peoples. Tell me what you think with a review!**


	35. Chapter 35

**_Another chapter in under a week. Not great, but better right? We're getting closer to the end here; I think I'll probably end this story at around 40 chapters. I'm also probably going to write a sequel-type fic about Isabelle. (Probably is the key word there people). Anyway, just a heads up there._**

"Ooh, you have marks," Mal continued as if she hadn't just casually announced that she was a member of a race intent on taking over our world. "Does that mean you're shadowhunters? I've never seen a real live shadowhunter before."

"I've seen plenty of demons before," Jace muttered to me. His hand was on his knife and his body was tense. "I told you I had a bad feeling about this." He whispered. Louder, he added, "Wait, did you just say you were a demon?"

Mal nodded.

"Like from another dimension intent on killing the human race? That kind of demon?" He asked as if he still didn't quite believe it.

"Well technically, I was born on Earth and I don't want to kill any humans." The dark haired girl told us with a slight smile. "But that doesn't make me any less a demon."

Jace muttered a curse word under his breath and gave me a pointed glare.

"Would you excuse us for a minute?" I asked with a nervous smile. Mal gave me a funny look, but nodded in consent.

"Of course." She said. "I can wait. I have all day." It might have just been my imagination, but I thought I sensed something wistful in her tone. A demon who didn't want to kill humans had to be very lonely. I tried to rid my mind of these thoughts. We might have to kill her later. There was no use in sympathizing with her.

Jace grabbed my arm and pulled me after him to the mouth of the alley.

"Oh, it's just a kid," he mimicked as soon as we were out of earshot. "It's never _just _a kid, Clary."

"First of all, I don't sound like that." I defended, trying to get him to lighten up. I even threw in a tentative smile.

Jace's expression didn't falter.

"Okay, okay." I exhaled loudly. "I get it. She's a demon. I know I shouldn't have talked to her, but I did. So what are we going to do now?"

Jace looked thoughtful for a minute. "Do you still have that ring?" He wanted to know. "The one you used on the Guerr demon?" I nodded. "Right now, that would be our best defense. If nothing else, we can use it to get information out of the demon."

"I've got it." I pulled the chain out of my collar and took the ring off. "But I don't know, Jace," I frowned."This just doesn't feel right. I don't know why, but I have a feeling she's harmless." Jace raised an eyebrow.

"I just don't want to have to kill her." Even though I knew there was a chance that the innocent look was all a trick, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was real.

Jace's face softened. "I know, Clary. But there are some things you just have to do. And right now you need to put on that ring and interrogate that demon."

"Okay." I agreed reluctantly as I slipped the ring onto my finger. "I'll do it. I won't be happy about it, but I'll do it."

As soon as the ring was on my finger, I felt a gratifying burst of power. Momentarily forgetting our predicament, I let the waves was over me. Almost involuntarily, I was drawn forward by them. Before I knew what was happening, I was inside of my boyfriend's head.

The first time I had been inside his mind, Jace had let me in. He dictated what I saw. This time, however, he had no control over the images flashing past my eyes. As I looked on, the slide show stopped an image of a young Jace, no more than seven years old.

He was sitting in a room I recognized as the entrance of the Wayland Manor in Idris. He was humming a song I didn't recognize and stroking a fluffy cat. He looked more carefree and innocent than I had ever seen him, but there was still a sad, aged look about him. His playing was interrupted as an imposing figure that I immediately recognized strode into the room.

"What are you doing, Jonathan?" Valentine demanded. His voice was cold and harsh in a way that no child should ever be exposed to. "I know that I told you to leave the cat alone. You wouldn't want another incident like the one with the falcon." His tone was warning and held not a hint of mercy.

"Of course, father." He agreed. Blonde curls fell in to his eyes as the seven year old Jace scrambled up from his place beside the cat and shot a surreptitious, searching look in Valentine's direction. His expression was a mix of hope and quickly masked disappointment. The disappointment at being forbidden to play with the cat and the hope that Valentine would deem him good enough.

"Have you finished your lessons for the day?" Valentine asked. Jace nodded vigorously. "Good, good," continued in the same cold, clinical tone of voice. From the way Jace's face lit up at the comment, you would think he had been told he had done an amazing job. "You may go explore the grounds for a while."

Jace made his way to the door slowly, dragging his feet as if hoping beyond hope that Valentine was going to give him another compliment. He was almost to the door before Valentine's voice rang out. "Jonathan," he called. Jace stopped in his tracks and spun to face him. "Come here."

Jace duteously made his way to the man he believed to be his father and stopped before him. "Hold out your hand." Valentine ordered. Without another word, he placed an object in Jace's hand and strode out of the room.

Jace watched him walk out of the room with a look akin to hero worship on his face. Only after Valentine's footsteps had long faded into the distance did Jace look down at the object in his hand. When he did, a slow smile spread across his face. In his hand, he held a small toy soldier. To me, it seemed a model of what my father was trying to mold Jace into. But to Jace I knew it meant more than that. He wouldn't let the soldier out of his sight for years. Not until he found someone who needed it more.

With that, I was roughly pulled from the scene and thrust into another one. At first, I thought that I was in my own body. When I looked up and found Isabelle in front of me, I decided that I must be in another of Jace's memories.

"Are you sure they meant Simon?" She asked. The question was aimed at either Jace or Alec who were both standing in the room with her. It was a room I recognized from my time in Idris. I had a few fond memories of my time in Idris, but my time in this room was not one of them. This was the room where I had seen Jace and Aline kissing. "Maybe…" Isabelle continued.

"They were talking about how stupid the Downworlder had been to believe that they'd just send him back to New York without questioning him." Alec answered. I studied the room and their faces trying to place the scene and understand their conversation. I was so focused that I missed whatever Alec said next. "And Malachi said, 'Well, what do you expect from Valentine's son?" I caught the last of his sentence.

"Oh," Isabelle whispered. "Oh my God." She glanced across the room. "Jace…"

Jace's hands were clenched at his sides. His eyes looked sunken as if they were pushing back into his skull. Jace had only looked like that once since I had known him. It was after the fight we had after I had walked in on him and Aline. The words he said that day had broken my heart. And if his face was any indication, they had broken his as well. "If it hadn't been me who brought him through," Jace said in a low measured voice, "maybe they would have just let him go home. Maybe they would have believed— "

"No," Alec interrupted. His face was filled with empathy for his parabatai. "No, Jace, it's not your fault. You saved his life."

"Saved him so the Clave could torture him," Jace said. "Some favor. When Clary finds out…" He shook his head blindly. "She'll think I brought him here on purpose, gave him to the Clave _knowing _what they'd do."

"She won't think that. You'd have no reason to do a thing like that." I let out a humorless laugh that went unheard in the quiet room. Jace knew me well. That was exactly what I thought when he told me.

"Perhaps," Jace said, slowly, "but after how I just treated h–"

Before I could find out what happened next, I was yanked out of the scene and the next thing I knew, I was sweating and panting in my own body.

"Clary? Clary? Are you okay?" Jace's worried voice brought me back to reality.

I opened my eyes to find his arms wrapped tightly around me and his face inches from mine. He must have caught me as I started to fall.

"What happened?" A tentative voice came from over Jace's shoulder. "Is she okay?"

I tried to disentangle myself from Jace's arms, but he refused to let go. "What happened?" He murmured into my ear, low enough that Mal couldn't hear.

As an answer, I placed a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'm sorry." I told him and kissed him again, harder this time.

When Jace finally managed to disentangle his lips from mine, his expression was one of confusion. "What was that for?" He asked confusedly.

I started to blurt out everything that I had seen, but at that moment, I remembered that there was a demon present. I had a hard time thinking of her as a demon, but there was no other explanation for her seeing our marks or the demon energy on the fire escape. Jace's sensor had also gone off in his hand when Mal showed up. So instead of telling Jace everything, I just gazed up at him.

"Past crimes," I replied, ignoring his confused expression.

"Are you sure you're okay? Did you hit your head?" He asked worriedly, firing questions in quick succession. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you later." I whispered back. "But for now, you have to let go of me." He didn't. "Jace, I'm fine." I assured him until he reluctantly let me go. He backed away still gazing worriedly at me.

As Jace backed away, Mal came into view. I snapped myself out of my crazy vision-induced stupor. I knew that I had to use the ring, if not to control her, at least to tell if she was lying.

"Mal." I began. Her dark eyes lifted to meet mine. "If you're a demon, why aren't you trying to kill us? Why are you trying to help us?"

She tugged at one of her curls in a nervous gesture so ordinary that it made me feel bad for asking. "Well…" She started as if unsure how to begin. "I'm different than most demons."

Jace snorted. "That's an understatement."

Mal flashed him an innocent look before continuing. "I'm not… not a full demon. I'm part human."

I could feel the threads of power emanating from the ring. Tentatively, I reached out. Careful not to let them takeover this time, I gave a mental push in Mal's direction to filter the truth from lies.

"If you're not a full demon, then you must be a Warlock." Jace pointed out, studying her for the tell-tale sign each Warlock carried that distinguished them from others. Magnus' unique feature was the cat-like slits of his pupils. I couldn't see any such feature on the little girl.

"No," She corrected. "Warlocks have on demon parent and one human parent. Neither of my parents was human."

Jace looked to me for confirmation that this was the truth, and I gave him an almost imperceptible nod. "If they're not human, then what are they?" I wondered aloud. The dark haired girl looked at me with eyes that reminded me of the younger Jace. Her eyes had clearly seen more than their fair share of pain over her short years.

"Have you ever heard of Asmoday?" Mal asked the seemingly random question with a quietness that belied her earlier energy. The name rang a bell, but I couldn't quite recall…

"That's the name of a Greater Demon." Jace chimed in.

"Asmoday is one of the main four vying for power at the moment." I remembered the speech that Botis had given when he inhabited Jace's body. "The others are… Cacus, Belphegor, and Botis."

"Yes," Mal confirmed. "You see, Asmoday is my father."

"Your what?" I burst out.

"He's my father." Mal repeated. Her wide dark eyes still held an innocent look but as we spoke of Asmoday, something in them darkened. "Greater demon blood is powerful. So powerful that it corrupts human blood and makes it demonic."

My eyebrows knit with thought. "But you don't smell like a Greater Demon." I pointed out.

"And that's where the human blood comes into play." She explained. "Human and demon blood are not compatible. That is why a lot of warlocks end up looking human with one defining demonic feature. The human blood in me keeps the demon blood from taking over, giving me the qualities of both. Such as a human soul." She pursed her lips thoughtfully and added, "Or at least that's the way my mother tells it."

"And your mother?" I asked curiously. "What is she?"

I felt Mal draw back a little from the question, as if she wasn't going to answer. I gave an almost imperceptible tug at her mind and the answer came tumbling forward. "Her name is Neeva." Mal answered reluctantly. "She was a Warlock."

"Was?" I questioned softly, sympathetically. I was already regretting invading her mind.

"She died… in the war." Mal answered freely this time, but she refused to meet my eyes.

Despite the fact that I knew she was telling the truth, I still found this whole thing hard to take in. I mean, who had ever heard of a Greater Demon and a Warlock reproducing? Or a demon with a soul. The whole story was implausible to say the least. Wondering at Jace's reaction, I glanced over to him.

I was surprised to find that he wasn't even paying attention. Instead, he was looking around warily. He scanned the dumpsters at the back of the alley and the fire escape where Mal had descended before turning back to us. "There's something or someone nearby." He told me seriously. "We need to get out of here and find the others before we have a surprise encounter with it."

"Do you know if it's a demon?" I asked, watching him carefully scan the area. If I had attempted to track it, I probably could have found out for myself but Jace's senses had had at least ten years more training when it came to shadowhunting. My very own father had raised him as a warrior.

"No." He shook his head, withdrawing his knife from its sheath for the second time today. "For all I know, it could be muggers. But if it is Botis, we need to get on with this."

"Get on with what?" Mal asked. She looked from Jace to me and back again.

Jace and I exchanged glances. His look said the last thing we needed right now was a little perceptive demon girl to take care of. Mine said the opposite. Mal had said herself that she knew everyone around here. Because she was a demon, that would extend to other demons… maybe even Botis. I tried to convey this whole message to Jace with only a look.

After a moments' hesitation, he nodded for me to tell her. "We're hunting." I confessed. "Demon hunting."

I expected her to draw away or object- after all, we were speaking casually of killing her race- but Mal's face remained impassive. I decided to take that as a good sign. "Demon hunting?" She inquired with traces of her earlier enthusiasm. "Well, you're in the right place for that… Are you after any demon in particular?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact." Jace told her shortly. "We're trying to take down Botis. Our informant told us he's been in the neighborhood."

"Who did you get to rat out Botis?" Mal looked impressed. "Very few people could get away with that and still be alive."

Jace gave the girl a feral smile. "Oh, trust me. He won't be alive for long."

"Either way," she skipped forward until she was directly in front us, her voice chipper once again. "You're going to need a guide to find Botis… and as I said before, I'm always happy to help."

"Aren't you afraid of provoking Botis?" Jace queried skeptically.

A scary smile flashed over Mal's face. "I was raised by Asmoday. I know a thing or two about Greater Demons."

Jace glanced at me, letting the decision of whether or not to include her fall into my hands. Normally, he was the one who took charge in these situations, and I decided to check once again to confirm my gut feeling that Mal would help us. Instead of tugging the information out like I had before, I gently reached out with my mind. I could feel that Mal was serious about trying to help us, but I could also sense that she was holding something back. Without actually invading her mind, I couldn't tell what.

I was tempted to push more and find out what she was hiding, but I wasn't sure I could do it without alerting her that something was wrong. I decided to go ahead and give Jace a nod. Surprisingly content with my decision, he turned to Malheureuse and said, "We could definitely use a guide. But if we do find Botis, you may have to fight."

Mal's dark eyes glitter as her face lit up with a smile. "Excellent," She replied. "Every demon loves a good fight."

Young as she was, I had a feeling that Malheureuse was not someone you wanted to cross.


	36. Chapter 36

**_I hate writer's block. Long wait, short-ish chapter. It sucks. But hopefully it's a good chapter and that'll make up for it._**

**Magnus**

"Admiring the scenery?" I lifted an eyebrow and gave Alec a knowing look.

My handsome shadowhunter and I were standing on the curb waiting for the rest of the group to catch up. We were having a perfectly normal conversation when out of the blue, his scrumptious blue eyes started to wander from my face down to my lips.

"What can I say?" he returned, shrugging a shoulder nonchalantly. His bright blue eyes lifted to meet mine as he grinned sheepishly. "I find you attractive."

"You had better." I wiggled a finger in his face warningly. "Being my boyfriend and all."

"Oh, you don't have to worry about that." Alec said sweetly. "I'll always find you attractive." His face turned pensive, and he didn't say anything for a long moment. He only studied me silently.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Me?" My delicious boyfriend raised an eyebrow in question and I nodded affirmation. "Let's see here… I'm thinking about this guy." Then, with a slight smile curling his full lips, he reached out and caressed the side of my face with his hand. "And I want to kiss him, only he won't stop talking."

"What a horrible dilemma." I leaned in closer to him. "You know what you should do to fix that?" His eyes shifted once again to my lips, and I got the feeling that he was no longer listening.

"Nope."

"Too bad." I replied. I stepped away from him with a smug smile. "Neither do I."

A scowl crossed his face and Alec let out a frustrated growl. "Kiss me?" He asked. It was meant to be a question, but it came out as a demand. Tut, tut. Alec knew I didn't listen to demands.

"Sorry, Alexander. I refuse to kiss you." I told him with a self-satisfied smirk. "Instead I am going to stand here and protest your existence." To say that he looked confused would be putting it mildly. I gave him an admonishing frown. "Say please."

"No."

"Yes."

"Nuh-uh."

"Alexander."

"Fine." He let out a loud breath. "Magnus Bane, would you please kiss me?"

With a dramatic sigh and a cat-like grin, I leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "Of course I'll kiss you, darling!" I closed in the space between us and pressed my lips to his.

From the sidewalk behind us, someone cleared their throat loudly.

I pulled away from Alec with a knowing grin and turned to find Isabelle eyeing us with a nauseous expression. "See something you like, shadowhunter?" I queried.

"I can never get enough of your sparkling wit and charm, Magnus Bane." She retorted haughtily. "But believe it or not, no. I didn't enjoy that." Much to my amusement, Isabelle grimaced. "Actually, I think I might be scarred."

"Scarred?" I asked with mock horror. "You wound me, Isabelle. Surely my performance was better than that." Isabelle didn't deign to reply, so I turned to Alec with a wink. "She enjoyed it." I informed him smugly. "They always do."

"Shut up, Magnus." My very uncomfortable-looking shadowhunter snapped. "Isabelle, we were just, uh…" His eye flicked back and forth between us as he scrambled for something to say that would diffuse the tension. "Talking. Yeah, that's it."

"Talking?" The raven-haired girl asked dubiously. "Because that didn't look like talking to me. I've never seen two people talk with their mouths pressed together before."

"We were." Alexander assured her.

I elbowed him gently. "Don't overdo it." I whispered in his ear.

Ignoring my warning, the boy continued talking. "We were talking about… stuff. Like the demon and… stuff."

"And you overdid it." Stifling the urge to laugh at Alec's adorable ineptness, I placed my hand over his mouth. Louder, I added, "As Alexander was so eloquently attempting to say before he stuck his foot in his mouth, you're interruption was not appreciated." Alec opened his mouth to protest, but my hand blocked his words. "And now," I continued, paying him no mind. "He is asking if there was any reason for said interruption."

Alec showed my hand away from his captivating mouth, and Isabelle shot us a knowing smile. "Surprising as it may be, there was a reason." She declared. "If we're going to find Botis before Mom and Dad get home, we need to get going. Don't we, Jace?" She turned to blondie for confirmation. I waited for some cocky speech about how he could defeat the demons all on his own, but it never came. "Jace?" Isabelle called louder.

Alexander and I both turned to peer in the direction Isabelle was facing, but neither Clarissa nor her boyfriend was anywhere to be found. Isabelle spun back to Alec and me. "Where are Clary and Jace?" She demanded.

I cocked an eyebrow at the raven haired girl. "You do realize that lover boy and I were about to make out a minute ago, right?" I asked, ignoring the scowl Alec sent in my direction. "We would be the last people to know where those two ended up."

"Well we need to find them soon." Isabelle told us. "You guys start looking this way, and I'll check over there."

"At least you don't have to worry about us." Alec offered reassuringly.

Isabelle just shook her head. "I always have to worry about you two." She walked purposefully toward an alley across the street, leaving my scrumptious shadowhunter and I alone again.

"Come on, Magnus," He laid a hand on my arm and motioned towards the alley nearest us.

"I don't know why she's so worried." I muttered to him. "They're probably off in an alley somewhere having all sorts of fun doing who knows what."

Alec made a face and continued pulling me in the direction of the alley. "That makes me a lot less eager to find them."

A slow smirk slid across my face and I dropped my eyes to his delightful butt. "We could hide in that alley and have our own fun. I can definitely think of a few things I'd enjoy."

"Nice try." Alec patted my arm distractedly. "But we can't. Isabelle might come find us again, and that would be awkward. I'd rather not scar my sister." He peered into the alley, looking for the short red-head and the cocky blonde.

While he was distracted, I inched forward and embraced him from behind. I leaned forward and placed a tantalizing kiss on the side of his vulnerable neck causing him to jump. "You should always be aware of your surroundings Alexander." I whispered into his neck. "Or someone might sneak up on you." I kissed him again.

"Stop it." He ordered, trying to shrug me off. "That tickles."

"It wouldn't tickle if you would turn around so I could kiss you properly." I informed him knowingly. From the way he was relaxing against me, I could already tell that his will to resist was failing him.

"Magnus." He said disapprovingly. "This isn't the time for…" The rest of his sentence was cut off as my mouth covered his. The kiss was both gentle and hungry, a strange combination, and Alec's lips were inviting and delicious.

"Magnus." He repeated, pulling away. "We need to…" He frowned as he tried to remember what we needed to do. I loved the way that my kisses - only _my_ kisses- could make Alexander forget his mission.

"What, exactly, do we need to be doing?" I raised my eyebrows teasingly, "Because I, for one, liked our previous occupation."

"We need to… keep looking for Jace and Clary." Alec told me firmly. His tone brooked no discussion, but I wasn't done teasing him yet.

"So we aren't getting naked then?" I asked innocently.

"Did someone say naked?" Isabelle's voice emanated from the front of the alley. "I don't even want to hear the rest of that conversation."

"I'm sure you would have enjoyed it." I told her smugly. "Alec did."

"Did not." Alec glared.

"Sure, Alec." I smirked superiorly. "Whatever helps you sleep at night."

He shifted away from me with a frown and Isabelle stepped closer to us. "Look over there," she pointed to the dingy far corner of the dark alley. "See that?"

"What is it?" Alec asked, still frowning.

"A mouse." She replied with a grin. "Remind you guys of anything?" The night I first met the Lightwoods was memorable for me, if only because of Alec. I remembered everything, including the fact that they had brought a mundane with them and Simon went and got himself turned into a rat. That's why I never invited mundanes to parties. They always screwed them up.

"A mouse?" Alec repeated dumbly.

His sister frowned at him. "Yes, Alexander." I spoke as if to a small child. "A mouse. Also known as an annoying rodent with a fondness for cheese. A bit like my aunt Matilda."

"I know what a mouse is, Magnus." Alexander's blue eyes flashed as he snapped at me. "I just don't like them."

"You mean you're afraid of them?" I asked, attempting to hide my smile.

"You're afraid of mice?" Isabelle asked disbelievingly. "How did I not know that?"

Alec scowled again. This time it was aimed in the direction of the nosy rodent. "It never came up before."

"But when Simon…?"

"Clary held him the entire time. I didn't get anywhere near him, and you guys lost him before any of you noticed." He admitted as he scowled at the mouse. I smirked as I realized that it was making its way ever closer to our little group. Poor Alexander was about to be in for a surprise.

"Huh."

"Shut up."

"I just said huh." Isabelle said defensively.

"Well I just said shut up." Alec snapped.

"Oh, look." I pointed casually as the mouse stopped a few feet from Alec. "It's right next to your foot, Allie."

"Ahh!" He didn't scream so much as yell as he hurried backwards away from the mouse. "Get it away!" Alexander ran into the wall in his haste to get away from it.

Taking pity on him, I snapped and the creature disappeared. "Poor Allie." I couldn't hide my grin. "Would you rather it be a demon?"

"Yes." He snapped. He glanced frantically around to see if there were any more. "I hate mice." I tried unsuccessfully to hide my smile.

"Don't." Alec warned.

"I didn't say anything."

"It's what you were thinking."

A laugh erupted from behind him, and Alec spun around. Isabelle was standing a safe distance away, laughing her head off. "That…" She said between bouts of laughter. "Was… priceless! Alec, you should have seen your face."

Alec let out a growl. "Shouldn't we be looking for Clary and Jace instead of wasting time?" He demanded. His pride was obviously bruised.

"We should." Isabelle agreed. She made no move to stop laughing.

"It's okay, Alexander." I said comfortingly. "Everyone's afraid of something. Fear is normal."

"For everyone except Jace." Isabelle put in.

Alec ignored her. "You say everyone's afraid of something, but I've never seen you afraid." He pointed out. "What are you afraid of, Magnus."

I thought about it for a minute before saying decidedly, "St. Patrick's day. All those little leprechauns out for gold. They're short _and _creepy."

Alec narrowed his icy blue eyes at me. "This isn't time for jokes Magnus. Don't mock."

"I wasn't mocking!" I protested. He only glared at me and I relented. "…Only a little."

"Speaking of finding Clary and Jace, which we only sort of were," Isabelle interjected, having recovered from her laughing fit. "They weren't in any of the alleys nearby. And they're obviously not in this one."

"Do you have any idea what happened to them?" Alec asked, happy for the change in topic.

"If I did, would I have told you to look for them?" Isabelle asked irritably. "I know about as much as you do. But right now, I'm thinking that they either wandered off without us or they were abducted."

"Clary can take care of herself, and Jace can more than take care of both of them." I put in. "They couldn't have been abducted unless it was the Greater Demon that got them."

"Which leads me to believe that they wandered off."

"Well," Alec said. "They know where we're going and how to get there. If they did get separated, that's probably where they would go."

"And that means we're just wasting time waiting for them here." I finished for him.

"So it's unanimous?" Isabelle asked for confirmation. "We leave and hope to meet up with them when we make it there?"

"Fine by me."

"And me." I agreed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Isabelle grinned. "Let's go."

And go we did. In a little more than an hour, we made it to our destination. We would have made it further, but we got a bit distracted…

"Alec, what is that smell?" Isabelle asked curiously, wrinkling her nose. She inspected the street closely for the source of said smell.

"Smells like fish." I answered for Alec. He was busy scrunching his adorable nose at the putrid smell. "Dead fish in particular."

"That is disgusting." Alec announced.

"Brilliant observation, Alexander." I grinned at him. "Would you like a prize?"

"Not now, Magnus." He waved me off. "My stomach is feeling kind of queasy."

It wasn't until we rounded a corner that we discovered the source of the smell. As explained in Chinese by a large green sign, there was a market on this street. A fish market. Lying on tables displayed for the world to see were many different types of fish, crabs, and other fishy creatures. The smell was overwhelming.

"You want fish?" An old lady asked Alec, holding a large brim up to him. Alec looked like he wanted to puke.

"I don't know if I can take much more of this," Isabelle moaned from her spot on the other side of me.

"It's absolutely sickening." I agreed. "But life is a series of hoops that you jump through. And then you die. ...This is one of those hoops."

"Oh, well that's a happy outlook on life." Alec commented. His voice came out muffled because he pulled his shirt over his nose to block out the smell.

From my other side, Isabelle asked, "Can they be flaming hoops?"

"Everyone's a critic." I shook my head despairingly. "The point is… well, I forgot the point. Let's get out of here before that lady holds up something that's still alive."

**Clary**

"Dun duh duh duh da. Hm hmm." Malheureuse's incessant humming was going to drive me seriously crazy if she didn't stop soon.

"Calm down, Clary." Jace said reassuringly. "We'll find them." His face was set in its ready-for-a-fight mask that I knew meant trouble was nearby.

"That's not…" I began. "You know what, never mind."

Jace looked down at me and allowed his armor to crack enough for a small smile. "Are you sure you're okay?" He asked, reaching forward to run a hand through my hair.

"Hm? Yeah, I'm all right." I sighed. "I just want this whole thing to be over."

"Me too." He agreed. "But it's not every day you get to take out an evil Greater Demon and make the world a safer place."

Leave it to Jace to think of this whole ordeal as a good thing. I sighed. "When you put it that way, it seems like fun."

Jace gave a feral smile. "Killing things is always fun."

"For you maybe."

My voice must have sounded depressed because Jace stopped walking and held out his arms. "Clary, come here." He told me softly. I stepped inside the strong, warm circle of his arms without a second thought. I buried my face in his shoulder and pressed close to him. Jace's mask disappeared completely as he smiled down at me. "You better now?" He asked gently.

"Mmhmm." I didn't want to let go of him.

"Hey, you guys!" Mal interrupted the moment. Her voice was childishly excited as she called for our attention. "Look over there!"

Jace let go of me and spun around, knife at the ready. Hurriedly, I repeated the gesture. Only after we had drawn our weapons did we realize that there would be no need for them because standing not a hundred feet away from us were none other than Alec, Isabelle, and Magnus.


	37. Chapter 37

**_New chapter! We're getting ever closer to the end of this story, and while i kinda just want to be done with it, i'm definitely going to miss writing it. _**

"Can I ask…?" Isabelle asked a few minutes later, motioning slightly in Mal's direction. She, Alec, and Magnus all seemed no worse from the wear of traveling all the way here. I was sure both Jace and I looked slightly worn out, but the three of them seemed fine, if slightly suspicious of our new traveling companion. But that was to be expected.

"Not if you're expecting an answer." Jace baited her with a smirk. "You'll have to learn this thing called patience and wait like Maggs and Allie-boo are doing." Jace was lucky that neither Alec nor Magnus was here to hear him.

Isabelle only frowned. "You're so juvenile."

At the moment, Isabelle, Jace, and I were waiting impatiently for Alec and Magnus to return. They were looking for a place where we could take a break from demon hunting and explain the situation, and so far it didn't seem like they were having much luck.

"Hey!" Alec's voice came from behind me. Speak of the devil. "We found a place."

"We would have found one earlier, but as evidenced by the lack of just about everything, we're not in Manhattan anymore." Magnus announced. Was it just me, or was he smirking again?

"Yeah," Alec agreed. "All we could find were apartments and little shops. Finally, we came across a small one nearby. There's just one little problem…"

"This," Jace announced minutes later. "Is disgusting." With one glance, he had already found the problem with the place.

"What?" Isabelle asked, glancing around innocently. "You don't like pink?"

That was the problem: the entire restaurant was pink.

In response to Isabelle's question, Jace sniffed disdainfully. "I'm a guy."

From the booths at the back of the room to the counters where the food was prepared, it was obvious that the owner loved pink. None of us felt comfortable in the small diner, but unsurprisingly, Jace was the only one who voiced his complaints.

Mal alone seemed happy with the place. "Isn't it so cute?" She asked me in that cheerful way of hers. "I love pink. It's the color of cotton candy and strawberry ice cream. Don't you like pink?"

"I love pink." I lied. I moved to take my seat in the booth beside Jace, but before I could he tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hey, Clary." He nudged me to get my attention. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

I looked up at him suspiciously. "If this is a repeat of last time, I'm not going to go along with it. It's not, is it?"

"Of course not." Jace grinned and eyed me suggestively. "But it could be if you wanted it to."

"_Jace._"

"It's important." He told me, his face sobering instantly. "And it's about the demon."

"Malheureuse?" I asked, frowning. "What is it?"

"I know you think that she really wants to help us and that's she's telling the truth, but her story doesn't match up." Jace's golden eyes lit earnestly. "Some of the things she told us made no sense."

"Like what?" I asked worriedly. I glanced across the room to see Mal chatting amicably with Isabelle. Isabelle was watching Mal suspiciously, but she seemed entertained by the girl nonetheless.

"First of all, she's a demon." Jace said like it was obvious. Which, I guess it was. "They don't help people. They kill them. They don't help shadowhunters either. She didn't just come along for curiosity's sake. "

"I know that, Jace." I sighed. "And I never said that I trusted her, but even if it's not the only reason she's here, according to the ring, she _does_ want to help."

"It's not the only reason." Jace assured me. "It can't be." He frowned thoughtfully for a moment and ran a hand through his golden-blonde curls. He said hesitantly, "And there's one more thing. Something I'm surprised you didn't already notice with or without the ring."

"What?" Knitting my brows, I thought back over what we had learned about Mal, paying special attention to the feelings the ring gave me about whether or not she was telling the truth. I couldn't think of anything questionable. She had told us that her father was Asmoday, that her mother Neeva was a warlock.

Wait a second. A warlock. The pieces clicked together and I felt incredibly stupid. "Warlocks can't have children!" I burst out.

"Exactly," Jace agreed smugly. "So how did this one have a kid?"

I was at a loss to answer that one. "But the ring said it was the truth, or at least the truth as she believes it."

"Clary…" Jace started doubtfully. "There's always the chance that the ring doesn't work like we think it does. We shouldn't put so much stock in it; it could be the thing throwing us off."

I shook my head emphatically. "You have to trust me on this, Jace. It works."

"I don't know, Clary." Jace still looked like he didn't believe me.

"What are you two up to over there?" Magnus called from across the diner. "No more sneaking off, love birds!"

"Yeah," put in Izzy. "The table is ready."

"We're coming." Jace called back. Turning back to me, he added. "Just keep that in mind, Clary. Try to think of a rune or something we can use instead of being so dependent on this demonic object we know next-to-nothing about."

"Jace," I began. But he was already gone.

"I'm back!" I heard him announce from across the room. "I know you all missed me." No one deigned to reply. I shook my head and followed him.

"What's wrong with you?" Isabelle was asking Jace as I got back to the table and slid into the booth next to him.

"Many things." Jace informed her seriously. "Do you want a list?" He lifted an eyebrow. When she didn't reply, he continued. "The first and foremost being that I am surrounded by the color pink." Mal squeezed in beside me, and Magnus and Alec sat across from us. Isabelle pulled up a chair and sat at the end.

"So what happened to you guys?" Isabelle demanded once we were all seated. "Jace, we haven't seen you in hours!"

"Don't brag." I told her, receiving and indignant nudge under the table from my boyfriend.

"Oh trust me," Isabelle replied, grinning. "I'm not. I just want to know what happened."

"It's kind of a long story…" I said, giving Jace a look. I wasn't sure how much we should tell them. As far as the three of them knew, my lead on the whereabouts of Botis came from a person. Not an evil demon that I controlled with a ring I had stolen from another, more evil Greater Demon.

"Kind of?" Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Well, we have plenty of time. It's why we're here after all."

"Start at the beginning." Magnus suggested. "Where did you two disappear to?"

Jace and I exchanged glances and he gave a self-satisfied smirk. "We got… distracted."

"See?" Magnus poked Alec in the side. "Didn't I tell you that's what they were doing? I knew we should have bet on it."

Ignoring his boyfriend, Alec asked. "So you abandoned us to go do what exactly?"

"Really, Alec?"A slow grin spread over Jace's face. "I would think that even you know what people who are dating do when they're alone together, especially now that you have Mr. Sparkly over there. But if you really need me to explain it to you then I should probably start at the beginning. Have you ever heard of the birds and the bees?"

Rolling her eyes, Isabelle interrupted. "Can we just say they were cuddling and move on? I'm already scarred enough for one day."

"I object to that!" Jace said loudly. "I am a man and men do not cuddle." He thought about it for a minute. "While we may kiss and hug and do other slightly more inappropriate things, there is no cuddling involved."

"I didn't know you were in the habit of kissing guys, Jace." It was, of course, Magnus who said this. His usual cat-like grin was tauntingly devious.

Jace blinked. "If you don't mind, Magnus, there is a child at the table. I think she's probably better off without hearing the explicit details of my love life."

"So you admit it!" Magnus accused.

"I don't recall saying that." Jace said blithely. "Just because many men are attracted to me doesn't necessarily mean that I return the sentiment."

"Actually," I put in, "around people other than Alec, Jace is somewhat of a homophobe."

"Only when they hit on me!" Jace protested. "This, thanks to my gorgeous features and rapier wit happens quite often."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but have you decided what you'd like to eat yet?" A new voice interrupted. The waitress was dressed, just like everything else in the diner, in pink. Her dark, slightly Gothic make up definitely didn't fit with the rest of her uniform. Momentarily forgetting our discussion, we ordered our food and the waitress hurried away.

"Now," Jace continued once she was gone. "Back to the topic at hand."

"And the topic at hand was?" Isabelle asked.

"Me, of course." Jace informed her. "I know you all count the minutes until you can escape from your humdrum lives by hearing how awesome mine is."

"Just get on with the story, Jace." Alec cut in. "And tell us how you ended up here."

"If you insist." Jace said, still grinning. "Well, after our pleasant excursion, you guys disappeared. Clary tried to use her cell probe thing to talk to you, but something killed it. We figured the fastest way to find you would be to meet here."

"Cell probe?" Isabelle asked dubiously. "What's a cell probe?"

"Whatever it is, it sounds naughty." Magnus said, examining his glittery nails. He lazily lifted his gaze to meet mine. "What have you been up to, Clarissa?"

"He means my cell phone, Magnus." I informed the warlock haughtily. "And no one killed it, Jace. The battery died."

"Mmhmm." Jace agreed in that tone of voice that said he had no idea what I was talking about. "The point is that we made it here alive and unscathed." He made a tragic face as he remembered the events of the subway. "Well, alive anyway."

The others all furrowed their brows. In response to their questioning looks, I laughed. "Jace made a new friend on the subway. Didn't you, sweetie?"

Jace muttered something under his breath about creepy gay guys and annoying girlfriends. "Let's not relive that." He added aloud. "Once was bad enough."

"I take it that was when you met our lovely guest." Magnus commented, giving Mal a beguiling smile. The girl smiled tentatively in response. It was an odd reaction considering how out-going she had been the whole time she was around me and Jace. As soon as we found the others, she had gone quiet. "Would you care to introduce the poor girl, Clary?"

"Malheureuse, meet Isabelle, Alec, and Magnus." I pointed to each of them in turn. "Isabelle, Alec, and Magnus; meet Malheureuse."

"_C'est français, n'est pas?_" Magnus spoke directly to the dark-haired little girl. She flashed him a real smile this time.

"_Oui, monsieur._" She nodded. "_Mais je m'appelle Mal_."

"_Enchanté, mademoiselle_. You can call me Magnus." I had never seen Magnus look as charming as he did smiling at Mal.

"My mother was French," Mal told Magnus, reverting to what I assumed was her normal, chattering self. "But my father was the one who named me. Mother didn't like the name, so she always called me Mal."

"And who were your parents, little one?"

Jace and I exchanged glances. Should we let Mal tell them who her parents were? Alec and Isabelle still looked skeptical, though Magnus was quickly warming up to her. If she told them that she was the daughter of a Greater Demon and a warlock, we were going to have a lot of explaining to do.

"Um, Mal…" I started, but it was already too late.

"My father's name is Asmoday and my mother's name is Neeva." Mal told them.

Alec spit out his drink. "Asmoday?" He and Isabelle practically shouted at the same time.

"Neeva?" Magnus' much quieter question somehow cut through the noise Alec and Isabelle were making. All attention turned to the warlock who was frowning at Mal as if she were some sort of puzzle that he was trying to understand. "Do you mean Neeva Dupuis?" Mal nodded. "I knew you reminded me of someone!"

"Who's Neeva Dupuis?" Alec asked curiously, looking from the girl to his boyfriend and back again.

Magnus turned to face the dark-haired shadowhunter incredulously. "You've never heard of Neeva? Neeva Dupuis is one of the oldest warlocks still in existence. She's beautiful and powerful, not to mention very famous. Her post as High Warlock of Paris is coveted." His voice implied that this knowledge was more personal than professional.

"So you know her?" I asked curiously.

"Know her?" One of Magnus's sparkly brows rose. "Neeva is a dear friend. I spent quite a few years learning about Parisian culture living in her quarters." I wondered if I was the only one who noticed the sudden scowl that graced Alec's face.

"Wait a second," Isabelle cut in with a frown. "There's something wrong with this story." All attention turned to her. Pushing her raven hair out of the way, she spoke up. "I don't know if any of you besides me remember this small insignificant fact, but warlocks can't have children.

"Oh, you don't know Neeva." Magnus told her with his trademark grin. His tone implied that not only did he know Neeva, but he knew her very well. "There was a rumor a few years ago, but I never believed it."

"A rumor about what?" Isabelle asked nosily.

"That she was making deals with demons." Magnus said as if it was obvious. He tapped his sparkly nails against the table top as he talked. "Neeva wasn't the sort to go against the Accords, but I remember she always loved children. I guess she finally got desperate enough to make some sort of deal for one."

"So you believe her?" Alec asked incredulously. It was obvious from his tone that he didn't believe a single word out of the girl's mouth. But then again he was kind of biased.

"You don't?" Magnus queried. His tone was a warning that this was not up for discussion. Alec's scowl deepened.

"Magnus…" Mal began, studying him as if she was looking for something. "Your last name wouldn't happen to be Magnus Bane, would it?" Her head tilted to the side in question.

"The one and only." Magnus winked at her. "Magnus the Magnificent at your service."

"I think I heard mother speak of you once." Mal said in that cheerful tone of her. "She said that you were a close friend. And something about a… bedspread, I think. She said it was your going away present and that she had missed you ever since."

"A bedspread?" Alec questioned snidely. "What kind of a present is that?"

"Never interrupt when I am being flattered." Magnus frowned at his boyfriend. "And a bedspread was a perfectly acceptable present considering our… relationship." Alec turned his glower on Mal as if she was the cause of everything that was wrong with the world, and Magnus seemed to notice his expression for the first time. "Aw, Allie-boo." He simpered, giving Alec a kiss on the cheek. "Neeva and I haven't spoken in years, and you are my one true love. You have nothing to worry about." He leaned forward and gave Alec a real kiss.

"Oh, please!" Jace burst out. "No porn in public areas. Save it for the bedroom." He snickered. "On a bedspread bought for our dear Magnus by a very special someone." If looks could kill, Jace would be dead. Alec's glare came back in full force and its entire force was directed at Jace's blonde self.

"Now that we know who she is," Isabelle changed the topic yet again. "Can someone please tell me why Maleru… Mal is here?"

"That one's simple." Mal spoke up. Dark haired and dark eyed, she looked as innocent as ever in the bright lighting of the restaurant. "I'm here to lead you to Botis."

Alec was still sulking in his corner and Magnus was whispering in his ear about who knew what. Isabelle was the only one who still seemed to find Mal suspicious. "Why?" She asked simply.

Mal's innocent expression wavered for a second, just long enough that I could see the fierce determination it hid. The ring was once again in its normal position on the string around my neck, so I couldn't use it to find out what was bothering her. "I have my reasons." She told Isabelle. "My father has been at war with Botis for a long time, and the Greater Demon Botis has given me many other reasons to detest him. And, as I told Clary and Jace earlier, a demon is always up for a good fight."

"So you're going to lead us to him?" Isabelle still made no effort to hide her doubts. "And how do we know that after we defeat Botis, you won't turn on us and call other demons to take us out?"

"You don't." Mal agreed. "And I may be a demon, but I'm not an idiot. If I were planning on fighting you, I would do it with better odds. Fighting five to one is never a good idea."

"Okay, here's one last question. And just so you know it is a test." Isabelle said. "Why should we trust you?"

"That is a very good question." Mal smiled. "Let's just say when choosing between two evils, I always like to pick the one I've never tried before. So, I'll be on your side."

"That's not an actual answer." The raven-haired girl pointed out. "But it's a good avoidance tactic." Her expression changed, and I could tell that she had made up her mind. "Malheureuse," Isabelle began, "I have no idea whether you're loyal to Asmoday, us, Botis, or even the manager at the closest Starbucks. But I do know that I like you, and for now that will have to do."

"Good." Mal said, her chipper smile returning once again.

"Good." Isabelle agreed.

"Now that that's settled," Jace spoke up. "We have a Greater Demon to kill." Leave it to Jace to remind us we had killing to do. It was nice to know that some things never changed.


	38. Chapter 38

**_It took me forever to write this chapter, because i haven't written anything in so long. Its finally finished though! Only two more chapters till the end of this story. Hope its worth the wait._**

"Mmph ere uffs fee sofing?" Jace's question was distorted as he attempted to shove food into his mouth and talk at the same time. We were on our way to find Botis, following the path that Malheureuse was laying out for us. Jace decided to take his food with him. Considering that he was trying to eat, walk, and talk all at the same time, the noise that came out was anything but articulate.

"Swallow your food before you talk, Jace." Isabelle frowned. "Didn't Hodge ever teach you manners?"

"If I remember correctly, teaching manners was Mom's job." Alec answered for him. "And Jace was too busy fiddling with his knives to pay any attention."

Opening his mouth and giving us a good view of its half-chewed contents, Jace grinned. "Manners?" He asked teasingly. "What're they?"

"Clary, your boyfriend is an idiot." Isabelle informed me, not bothering to acknowledge Jace.

I shot another glance at Jace, who was relishing his sandwich by making loud smacking sounds, and turned back to Isabelle. "Why does he have to be _my_ boyfriend?" I complained. "Why can't he be _your_ brother?"

Isabelle raised an eyebrow. "Hey, you chose the boy. I just got stuck with him."

"You know lying is a sin, Izzy. Just give in and admit it." Jace said, waving the last of his sandwich for emphasis. "You love me. Everyone does." As Jace motioned to Isabelle, his hand came up and smacked Magnus on the shoulder. The frowning warlock turned away from his conversation with Alec to face Jace.

"Not everyone." I laughed at the offended look on Magnus' face. His arched eyebrows were pressed together in a frown and his eyes were slightly narrowed.

"What," he asked, glaring at the offending object disdainfully, "is that?"

"It's a sandwich." Isabelle replied dryly. "You know… meat, bread. I'm just assuming."

Magnus turned his attention to Jace, purposefully ignoring Isabelle. "It takes you thirty minutes to eat a sandwich?"

"This is Clary's sandwich." Jace defended. "I finished mine a while ago."

Magnus turned dismissively away from him and commented to Alec, "I think it's going to be quite ironic if we find this demon while blondie over there is busy shoveling food in his mouth. Our best fighter- besides me, of course- disabled by a simple sandwich."

His honor apparently offended, Jace glared at the man. "Unlike some rather feminine members of this team, I'm _always_ ready."

"Are you sure about that?" The smaller, almost quiet voice of our young, dark-haired companion silenced Magnus' ready retort. Jace bristled at the statement, but before he could reply, Mal continued. "The rest of you need to prepare, too. We're nearing his territory."

"By his, I assume you mean that it belongs to Botis?" Isabelle asked for clarification.

"No, Izzy." Jace mocked. "She meant that it belongs to the tooth fairy."

Magnus gasped dramatically. "The tooth fairy is a man?" Alec shoved playfully at his arm to get him to shut up.

"For the most part, Asmoday's forces are centered in this area," Mal went on as if the interruption hadn't occurred. "But we're about to enter a small part that belongs to Botis and his followers." Her delicate face took on a ferocious look that was a mix of anger and determination. The deadly focus in her eyes we something that no one her age, demon or not, should feel. It made me wonder about her reasons for joining us on this mission. "They won't belong to Botis for long, though. Soon, he'll be dead."

"That's the spirit." Jace grinned. He looked like a little kid in a candy shop as he drew not one, but two seraph blades from sheaths hidden in his clothes. "Now let's go kick some demon butt!"

Taking my cue from Jace, I slid my seraph blade from its sheath and whispered its name, Cathetel. Hefting it experimentally, I gazed at the marks covering it. I heaved a sigh as the meaning of what we were about to do sank in. It was one thing to talk about killing demons and saving the world, but it was completely different to actually try it. Unlike Jace, I wasn't blessed with the innate fearlessness that gave him prowess in battle. And I was much newer at this than everyone on our team, except for Magnus.

I sent a nervous glance at Jace who was practically glowing with determination. Sandwich long forgotten, his golden features held a look that meant sudden death for anything- or anyone- that got in his way.

Alec, armed with both his bow and a few knives, was trailing behind, his watchful eyes searching for any threat that might appear. His dark hair covered his bright blue eyes; casting them into shadows and making them appear as two dark, liquid pools.

Ahead of him, Isabelle's fiercely beautiful face was filled with what could only be called anticipation, and her intimidating stare was one to rival Jace's. She held her whip at the ready, and she looked as if she'd love to use it. Following just a step behind Isabelle was the youngest member of our team. Looking at Malheureuse's dark hair and dark eyes, I was struck by the realization that she reminded me of someone. It wasn't until my gaze went back to Isabelle that I realized who. Pretty and determined, the two were cut from the same cloth. Both we willing to fight to the death if it was necessary, both standing strong in the face of adversity.

Magnus' eyes met mine and we exchanged a glance. His expression conveyed an understanding of sorts. Magnus wasn't a fighter. He was here because the easiest way to kill a Greater Demon or at least send it back to its own dimension was exposure to sunlight. Magnus just so happened to know a spell that created a blinding streak of sunlight. He was great with magic, but if he actually had to fight, he was going to be in trouble. He wasn't weak, but he lacked the years of experience and training that Isabelle, Jace, and Alec all had. He didn't move with a fluid grace that allowed him to strike at any moment, a grace that I was learning but still lacked. He and I were the weak links on the team, but both of us knew that we would give anything for the ones walking beside us.

"Just a little further." Mal's announcement drew me back to our mission. "And… we're here."

We stepped through a gate dividing a few rundown apartment buildings. The gate looked out of place in the derelict region, and I assumed it had been put up to divide the Greater Demons' territories.

"Toto, we're not in Kansas anymore." Magnus announced, looking around. Ignoring him, the rest of us looked around as well. "Does anyone know exactly what we're looking for?" Magnus asked.

"Shhh!" Isabelle and Mal snapped simultaneously.

"Sorry," Magnus stage-whispered back.

While we were traveling, the sun had sunk low in the sky and it looked as if it would disappear any second. Demons came out at night. Botis could be waiting around any corner. The booming of a stereo somewhere nearby shattered the eerie silence of the empty streets.

"Marco, don't!" A worried, feminine voice rose above the heavy bass of the music pumping not far away. "Get away from there."

"You can't tell me what to do, doll." A heavily accented voice snapped back. "Last time I checked, you weren't the boss."

"And you are the boss, _pendejo_?" Another accented male voice snorted.

The six of us exchanged glances. "Let's check it out." Jace suggested. He, as usual, led the way. As we moved closer, both the music and the voices got louder. Both were emanating from a building near the dividing gate. Jace swiftly picked the lock on the door and silently made his way inside. He moved gracefully in and out of the shadows as he stalked towards the unsuspecting mundanes. The rest of us hung back as he went to get a better view.

"Whatever it is, it's dangerous." The woman spoke again. "Why else would he pay us so much to guard it for a week?"

I leaned forward, trying to hear more of the conversation. From what I could tell, it sounded like they were working for some gang. There was nothing indicating that it was anything but mundane.

"If we're gonna be attacked, _mujer_," The first man snapped. "I at least want to know what we're bein' attacked for. For all we know, we could be guarding a bomb."

"_Cállate_, Marco." The second man replied. "Don't get above yourself. You don't want to mess with the Mara."

"The Mara?" Marco demanded. "How do you know he was with a gang? He wasn't packing heat." The two men grew carelessly louder as they argued.

"What do you think they're arguing about?" Magnus whispered to me.

"I don't know." I replied in a low voice. "Sounds like they're guarding something for a gang, but they don't know what it is."

"This is pointless." Isabelle put in. "Gang activity has absolutely nothing to do with our mission. We're wasting time."

"I don't think it's a waste of time." Jace's voice made us jump as he appeared out of nowhere against the wall of the building. He detached himself from the darkness and stepped forward. "I got a good look at the thing they were guarding."

"And?" Isabelle asked.

"And." Jace said slowly. "It looks a lot like a portal. It was covered up, but I know a portal when I see one."

"Well, at least that tells us we're in the right place." Alec pointed out. "Good job, Mal." He patted the girl on the shoulder.

"But it doesn't get us any closer to finding Botis." Isabelle cut in. "Those people said something about guarding the portal for a week. I have a feeling that the demons weren't about to use the portal regularly with humans hanging around. And that means Botis probably isn't here."

"I don't know about that," Jace began. "He coul-" He stopped as he realized that the shouting of the two men on the other side of the wall had ceased.

The ominous silence was broken by a sudden crashing noise. The door flew open and the night air was filled with the sound of a gun's rapid fire. Everything became chaos; we all hit the ground to dodge the ricocheting bullets. Dodging behind a wall for protection, Jace pulled back his arm and sent a knife spinning towards the human holding the gun. I winced as the knife sank through the air, hoping he didn't kill the mundane. Shadowhunters were supposed to protect humans, not kill them. I was relieved as the knife sank into the man's arm. He dropped his weapon and cried out.

"Mortals are such amusing creatures." A dark, seductive voice filled the air around us. "They are such selfish, avaricious beings. Each thinks that he is the most important. Yet, they all sound the same when they perish." The air seemed to shimmer as the last of the light faded from the sky. With only the voice as a warning, there was a flash of light and the Greater Demon himself appeared.

The injured man's eyes grew huge and without another thought, he took off at a run. A rotting, decayed stench filled my nose and I fought the urge to throw up. The serpentine body of the Greater Demon filled the street as his tail flicked back and forth in warning. Ugly horns protruded from the human-like face that was looking down at us. The sound of running footsteps alerted us to the presence of the two other humans.

The two humans came out of the house armed with weapons, but both took one glance at the demon and froze. With a cruel laugh, he waved a hand and sent them flying backwards into the brick of the building. They both lay in shock from the blow. After a moment, the man picked himself up and made a run for it, leaving the woman where she lay.

The air grew thick once again and Botis shifted from his snake-like form into a larger, vicious looking creature. His very bones seemed to grow and stretch until he had legs where his tail used to be. Like the first Greater Demon we had met, he now looked as if his bones were protruding though the skin. He looked rotten and disgusting, but even more powerful and brutish than before. In his hands, he held two wicked sharp knives almost long enough to be considered swords. The knives looked as if they were a pair and- if my weapons' training was correct- they looked like scimitars.

"Incurring the wrath of someone such as I is foolish." Just like his body, his voice was transformed. The powerful, seductive tone had changed to a bloodthirsty, harsh snarl. "And fools deserve to die." With a power that only a Greater Demon could possess, Botis lunged forward, striking out with one knife.

Jace barely managed to dodge the blade, leaping to the side at the last second. As he dashed away, he struck out with his own blade, barely nicking the demon's wrist. In the middle of the confusion, Isabelle's whip snapped forward, slicing cleanly into the yellowed bone of Botis' arm. Her attack gave Jace time to get away. Almost as quickly as her whip had flown through the air, the gash was gone, healed by the resilience of demonic blood. Isabelle struck again, coming close to the demon's face, which only served to make him mad.

Both Jace and Mal were weaving stealthily around the demon, looking for an opening. They made a strange sight; a handsome but ruthless boy who could have been an angel and a little girl who really was a demon, pitted against a creature both terrifying and lurid.

On the corner of the street, Magnus was busy muttering a complicated spell, complete with the twisting and waving of his hands. Alec's gaze was switching warily from Magnus to Jace and Izzy's fight with the demon. Always the protective one, he looked bent on destroying anything that harmed one of them.

I moved forward to throw myself into the fight. Pulling another, regular knife from my sleeve, I held Cathetel tightly. Lunging, I struck out at the demon with my seraph blade. As soon as I darted forward, Mal moved around behind Botis. We both struck at once, Mal's strike barely touching and mine drawing a line of bubbling black blood. The rune-marked knife inflicted more damage than Isabelle's whip, but soon the cut had healed as well. Botis laughed darkly and suddenly he disappeared.

Without warning, he appeared across the room, directly behind Jace. Jace's finely boned nose wrinkled with concentration as he spun to face the brutish creature. Botis rushed forward and lunged with his scimitar. He struck before Jace had a chance to move, catching the blonde boy on the left shoulder. The hooked blade dug into Jace's shoulder deep enough to draw a line of blood that seeped through his shirt. Gritting his teeth, Jace managed not to cry out. He switched his knife to his right hand and managed to stay on his feet.

The demon only laughed and disappeared again, this time appearing behind Izzy. It was then that I realized Botis was only playing with us. He could easily take all six of us, if he wanted to. But demons enjoyed inflicting pain. There was a cruel gruesome smirk covering his face as he roughly brought both of the scimitars to Isabelle's throat.

"NO!" Alec shouted. He moved to slice at the demon, but before he could, Botis spoke.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, boy." Botis' voice brought us all to a halt. "I could kill her before you so much as blink." Alec's step faltered and he looked pained with indecision. He could try to save Isabelle and risk her getting killed sooner or he could do nothing and watch as she died. "I was going to kill her sooner or later anyway. This way, I get to watch as you listen to her screams."

"Please." The word seemed to come from Alec's mouth involuntarily as he desperately eyed the knives pressed against his sister's neck. He couldn't afford to lose another sibling.

"_Alec!_" Jace's abrupt voice snapped him out of his misery.

"Pitiless, hard, much like a demon." The harsh tone of his voice echoed in the darkness as he spoke to Jace. "There was a reason I chose you as my vessel."

"You're going to let her go." Jace's face was closed off and unrelenting.

"Who are you to make demands of me?" Botis challenged. "I- Botis, Demon of Darkness, commander of sixty legions of demons- answer to no one." Jace's golden eyes were unflinching.

"You can't kill her." Jace said confidently. "Because if you do, you'll never get the ring."

"What do you know of such objects of power?" Botis scoffed.

"We know a little about a lot of things," Jace replied coldly. "Just enough to make us dangerous."

"If you're going to bargain," Botis answered in return. "At least use a bargaining chip that your enemy desires. I no longer need the ring." He let one of the wicked sharp knives purposely slip a little, drawing a thin line of blood as it nicked Isabelle's neck. "You can consider your friend as good as dead." Botis' yellow, cracked hands swung one of his sword-like knives experimentally before bringing it down in a sweeping arc directly over Isabelle's head.

_**Yay! Another cliffhanger! …Well, yay for me. Probably frustrating for you. :) Will one of our heroes save Isabelle? Who do you think it will be?  
**_


	39. Chapter 39

**_AHHHHH! I cannot believe that this is the second to last chapter! I have mixed feelings about ending it. I had a ton of fun writing it, but as anyone who's ever written a fic or story can attest, it takes a heck of a lot of work to get _one_ chapter done. Much less_ _forty__ chapters. I've put a lot of effort into it, and it's great to know that everyone out there appreciates it. :)_ **

**_Last time, I left you guys with a cliffhanger, and your patience in waiting for this chapter is sooo much appreciated. So without further ado, here it is:_**

Watching Botis' knife descend over Isabelle- pregnant, injured Isabelle- I felt almost as helpless as Alec looked. There was nothing any of us could do to save her; we were all standing too far away. If we all stayed still in shock, Isabelle was going to die. Maryse and Robert would lose another child, and Jace and Alec would lose their only sister. And I would lose the closest thing I had ever had to a sister. At this point, saving her would take a miracle and it seemed that we were out of those.

Strong and brave, Isabelle wasn't one to play damsel in distress, but even she couldn't get out of the deadlock of Botis' blades. Alec, Jace, and I all lunged forward to save her. The instinct to protect and fight to survive was something that was inside of all Shadowhunters. We couldn't just stand by and watch as anyone got killed, mundane or our kind. It was even worse when the one in danger was someone so close to us. We all focused single-mindedly on saving the dark haired girl before us.

Alec was the closest now. He plowed forward, intent on saving his sister. He wore a look of total concentration, and his weapon was poised to strike. I could tell even before he moved that he was going to get there too late.

We had to do something fast. But what?

Time seemed to slow down as my mind raced for a solution. What could we do to save her? I felt a flash of relief as an idea came to me. I still had on the ring, and I could use it to stop Botis. I didn't have time to think about it before I struck. Going on instinct and experience, I threw my consciousness forward, pushing my will in Botis' direction. It was a lot harder than invading Jace's open mind or Mal's young, inexperienced one. The Greater Demon's consciousness was harsh and powerful, more guarded than anything I had ever encountered before. I didn't have time to fight through his barriers. Not if I was going to save Isabelle.

So instead of making it a long drawn out process, I picked one thought and shoved it at him. "Freeze!" What was meant to be a silent command, came out as a shout. The result was instantaneous. Botis' hand stopped abruptly, inches away from Isabelle's exposed neck. His weapon clattered to the floor as he tried to regain control. I had stopped him just in time for Alec's knife to plunge into his chest.

As abruptly as he had stopped, Botis broke free from my hold. Yanking the dagger from his oozing chest, he shoved Isabelle and Alec out of range. Simultaneously, they flew backwards. Isabelle missed the brunt of the blow and slid backwards. She caught herself just before she lost her footing and barely managed to avoid toppling over. Alec, on the other hand, was hit by the full force of Botis' swing. The demon's powerful, twisted hand caught Alec in the middle of the chest and he soared backwards, narrowly missing Jace. He slammed into the wall of the building behind us. When he hit it, he crumpled to the ground and didn't get up. He didn't move at all.

There was a loud cry as Alec fell to the ground, but it didn't come from his broken form. Magnus caught sight of the event and stopped working on the spell. He looked like he wanted to run to Alec to try and save him.

"Magnus, don't!" Jace shouted, still clutching his injured shoulder. "The only way to save him is to do the spell and finish off the demon."

Magnus looked indecisive for a moment, but realizing there was no time to waste, he raised his hands and began the spell again. This time there was a sense of urgency that hadn't been present before as the warlock's eyes remained fixed on Alec's prone form.

I turned my own eyes back to the demon. Botis had yanked the knife from his bloody chest and was trying to staunch the flow of black blood so that it would heal. At the same time, he slammed defensive walls up to keep me from invading his mind once again.

Mal was taking full advantage of Botis' attempt to staunch the blood bubbling down the ripped clothing that covered his contorted body. The wound was bleeding profusely because Botis had yet to stop the flow of blood. She struck repeatedly, in hopes that a well-placed blow would hit its target. Jace moved up behind her.

Just as Jace moved to strike out at the Greater Demon, Magnus let out a warning yell. A blinding light flashed in the sky and my hands flew up to cover my eyes. A loud scream sounded in my ears as the startling light seemed to hang in the air for an interminable amount of time. Suddenly, the bright streak of vanished and the street plunged into darkness. The streetlights that illuminated the battle had mysteriously blown, and the entire world appeared to be swallowed by the night. In its wake, the flash left an acrid smoke that filled our lungs. Jace stumbled forward and almost ran into me. "Clary?" He whispered.

"It's me," I whispered back. The darkness surrounding us gave the night a creepy feeling. If the sunlight spell didn't work, Botis could be anywhere.

At first, my ears couldn't make out a sound in the dark of the deserted road. Then, a quiet murmur from a few feet away alerted us to the presence of another person. As he spoke, two of the nearest street lights suddenly lit up. Even with the light they provided, the smoke was too thick to see very much.

I could only see a few feet in front of me, just enough to see Jace and the person who had spoken in the dark. I was able to tell that the speaker was Magnus. As the smoke slowly cleared, Jace swore and took a step backwards. Following his gaze, I could make out a large misshapen form. Botis. The demon was rising from the mist, his serpentine form once again visible.

"I thought you said sunlight would kill him!" I shouted to Jace. Him, it, I was beyond caring _what _the demon was at this point. All I cared about was what it could do.

"It was supposed to!" He protested, shooting a frantic glance around for the rest of our team. Magnus was standing a few feet away, white-faced and gaping. Isabelle was pulling herself from the debris of the wall that had been demolished in the blast, and Mal was staring into the fog with a growing look of apprehension.

"Did you think a simple matter of sunlight would defeat me?" Though he was no longer in the grotesque form he used to fight, Botis was still terrifying. His intimidating form was slightly undermined by the fact that he sounded out of breath, almost like he was having trouble speaking. The blast of light may have hurt him more than he showed. "Mortals should not dare encroach upon the powers that control their world, powers such as me. I am the Demon of Darkness. Darkness is the opposite of light and therefore light cannot touch me."

That might have made sense in his head, but it sounded kind of weird to me. I mean, if light was the opposite of dark, shouldn't that make it more dangerous to the Demon of Darkness? Shouldn't it have more of an effect on Botis? Apparently not. I would have to figure it out later, because now we had a battle to win.

Magnus was standing only a few feet away from Jace and me, and Mal wasn't far either. Isabelle stood slightly off to the side. We all stood gaping at the Greater Demon who had survived sunlight. Mal recovered first.

"It doesn't matter." She glared at the snake in front of us. "We _will _find a way to kill you. And when we do, you are going to regret it."

The demon's snake-like eyes took on a disconcertingly gleeful look as they rested on Mal. "Ah, I recognize you now, little demon. Here to get your mommy back?" He taunted.

"My mother is dead." Mal said venomously. "You should know. You are the one who killed her."

If we hadn't been still already, Jace, Isabelle, Magnus, and I would have simultaneously frozen in our tracks. Suddenly, Mal's reasons for coming with us made sense. She meant it when she said she wanted to help us kill Botis. It was her only way of getting revenge. It was a little reassuring, knowing that she wasn't likely to double cross us anytime soon.

Botis let out a silky laugh, his voice no longer deep or harsh. Surprisingly, it sounded creepier this way. "What makes you think that?" He called tauntingly. Mal's face hardened. "How do you know that I didn't keep her alive just so that I could tort-?"

Before he could finish, Mal moved to attack him. "Don't." Jace called out to her. "He's only baiting you."

Without taking her eyes off of the demon, Mal spoke. "I've lived with demons long enough to know that the only time they tell the truth is when they know it will hurt you more than their lies," she said through gritted teeth.

"You would do well to listen to the youngling, Shadowhunter." Botis announced, the tip of his tail flipping back and forth like a cat's. "Just as she would do well to heed my words."

But Mal was beyond the point of caring what the demon said. Her eyes filled with rage, she sprung forward to attack the demon. Drawing her whip from underneath a pile of rubble, Isabelle hurried to help the younger girl. I looked back to Magnus only to find that he had moved.

As soon as the smoke had cleared enough to see, Magnus made a beeline towards the debris that had once been the wall of a building. He was digging rubble off of Alec's prone form in an attempt to save the blue-eyed boy. From this distance, I could only see a slow flow of blood dripping steadily from a wound across Alec's forehead. Magnus looked agonized at the state of Alec's body. I knew I must have worn a similar look when I thought that Jace might not make it.

Speaking of Jace, I expected him to be the first to jump into battle. He was always impulsive when it came to fights. He loved provoking them almost as much as he loved taking part. The cold, calculating look he wore during fights once again covered his face, and he looked ready to take on the world. But he made no move to attack the demon. Instead, he turned to me.

"I have an idea." He said loud enough that I could hear but not loud enough to alert the others.

"If you're going to suggest the ring, Jace, I already tried that." I told him with a sigh and a nervous glance over my shoulder.

"Would you forget that stupid ring for one minute?" Jace snapped, his war-hard face giving him a cruel look. "You don't need to depend so much on that when you have so many other weapons at your disposal."

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused. Was he complimenting my training or trying to make a point? I knew he had never been in favor of me trying on the ring in the first place. In fact, we had a lengthy argument about it.

"I _mean_ that there are powers unique to _you_. One of which might very well save our lives." He placed his hands on my shoulders and gazed into my eyes. "Clary, you need to use your power to create a new rune, one that will help us kill this demon."

"A new rune?" I repeated thoughtfully. That was actually a good idea, one that I could work with. Leave it to Jace to think of the perfect solution.

"So are you going to do it?" Jace asked.

"Of course, I'll do it." I told him. "We need to kill this demon as soon as possible. I'm just ready for it to be over."

"Good." Jace agreed.

Now, to find the right rune…

I let my mind wander, thinking of the sleek, serpentine form of the Greater Demon and all the pain it had caused. This dark creature had wrecked mine and Jace's relationship to the point where I had believed it was beyond repair. It attempted to kill Isabelle. It endangered her baby, and it may have harmed Alec even worse. I let my mind drift over the reasons to kill this demon. All of the sudden, it clicked. I jerked backwards, away from the picture forming in my head, to find Jace's expressionless eyes fixed on me.

"I've got it!" I said, drawing my stele its place in my boot.

Jace blinked. "Well, that was fast."

I took a deep breath and looked at him. "Take off your shirt." I ordered imperiously. Jace stared at me as if I told him that Alec was singing Christmas carols dressed like a clown. "Jace," I repeated. "Take off. Your shirt."

"Well, if you wanted to get me naked, Clary, all you had to do was ask." He drew the words out in that way he knew I hated. "But in case you hadn't realized, now probably isn't the best time for fun."

"Jace." I said once again. "This is important."

Finally, he did as I asked. Shrugging his shirt gingerly over his head, Jace gave me a full view of his attractive chest. In doing so, he also gave me a good view of his wound. I caught sight of his injured shoulder and winced. A simple _iratze _couldn't heal a wound like that. The blood flow had slowed, but he was still losing a lot of it. I realized we had to finish this battle fast or he was probably going to pass out.

Holding the stele gently, I pressed it directly over Jace's heart. I cleared my mind and focused on drawing the rune. Jace let out a sharp breath as the tip of the stele dug into the injured flesh, but his face soon resumed its impassive mask. The mark glowed on Jace's golden, tanned skin before fading like the others on his body.

"What does it do?" Jace asked curiously. He didn't bother to put his shirt back on as the sticky red blood coating his shoulder would only cause it to stick. I had to force my eyes away from his toned abs and remind myself to pay attention.

"I'm not done." I informed him, ignoring his question. "Now, hand me your knife." He held out the dagger in his hand. "Your other knife." I corrected. "The seraph blade."

Jace cocked an eyebrow at me as if questioning how I knew that he had another knife on his person. I only held out my hand in response. He reached into the waist band of his pants, a sneaky glint in his eye.

"Don't even try to make a perverted joke." I warned him. "We don't have time." Jace passed me the knife. I held it by the hilt and etched a rune very similar to the one on his chest.

"The runes are a pair." I said to him. "Consider them angelic runes. Because you have angel blood, and the knife is imbued with angelic power, the rune calls out to the power of the angels. And as you very well know, angels can kill demons. I'm not positive that it will allow you to kill him, but at least it will slow him down. That is, if you can get close enough."

"If?" Jace sounded offended. "There's no if. It's only a matter of when." He tossed the knife into the air and spun it into an arc before it dropped back into his good hand. "Watch and learn, Clary. Watch and learn." His impassive face breaking into a smug grin, he sprung into action.

Mal and Isabelle were still battling the ever-healing demon, and Magnus was still bent over Alec's unconscious form. He was muttering a mix of spells and curse words under his breath loudly enough that I could hear him from across the street.

I turned back to the fight just in time to see Malheureuse spring into action. With a flurry of moves so fast that it was hard to detect one from the next, she attacked furiously. Jace slid easily into the fight, his smooth gate allowing him to blend into the surrounding darkness. He moved to follow Mal's example with lightning speed. Despite his injury, my boyfriend was a formidable opponent. The gash in his shoulder barely slowed him down. While he was generally left-handed in real life, when fighting Jace might as well be ambidextrous. He wielded his weapon dangerously. Coming up beside him, I readied my own weapon for battle.

We worked as a team, taking turns striking, edging a little closer to Botis with each blow. I charged first, my height putting me at a slight disadvantage. Botis caught the edge of my knife on the blade of his scimitar, the force from the block pushing me backwards. Jace spun forward just in time to parry a stroke aimed at him by the shifting demon. Taking a chance, he brought his other hand up to try and strike a fatal blow. He threw his weight into the side where he held Botis in a deadlock, their weapons each vying to come out on top. Using the hand wielding the seraph blade, Jace swung the knife over his head before bringing it down. Directly over Botis' heart.

I watched the Greater Demon's gleeful expression freeze as the silver-black ichor of his own blood coated his chest. He took one gasping breath before staggering backwards. Jace's knife had sunk in deeply enough that the tip was protruding from Botis' chest. Coughing up blood, the Greater Demon fell to the ground.

Malheureuse was scowling fiercely in the direction of the dying demon. She took advantage of the devastating wound and leapt forward, her dark hair streaming behind her. With one smooth, practiced blow, she stabbed his evanescent scaly body. Her face filled with what could only be described as pure white-hot fury, and she swung the knife at the demon again and again.

"Mal." Jace ordered his tone sharp. "Leave him. He's dead."

Mal stopped hacking away at the lifeless corpse and took a shuddering step backwards.

"He's dead." Jace repeated. He came forward and placed a soft hand on her shoulder. The gentleness of his movements belied the tone of his voice.

"He's dead?" She repeated, almost as if she didn't believe it. "He's really dead."

The early light of dawn began to peek through the darkness as the dead body of Botis, Demon of Darkness, crumbled to ashes where he lay. The earth seemed frozen as the dead demon faded away into oblivion.


	40. Chapter 40

_**I am an awful person (as my best friend often jokingly tells me after i stick my foot in my mouth). I left you here to wait for like a month. But its not my fault! My internet is broken **_**again. _Which sucks majorly. But anyway._**

_**I was rereading my story the other day (I couldn't remember all the stuff that's happened so far) and I noticed that in one chapter Simon says, "Thank God." Oops. Forgot he couldn't do that. He's being very frustrating lately. I put him in this chapter, because of the whole Simon/Isabelle thing, but I couldn't get them to talk to each other. (That sounds strange, considering they're fictional characters, but all of you who've written stuff know what I mean.) **_

_**Anyway, I finally got their conversation to work, but I'm still not satisfied with it.**_

**Clary **

"Can you put some clothes on? It's distracting!" Jace complained. I could almost feel his eyes drifting over my bare back. It sent a shiver through my body.

"I thought you liked this view." I turned to look at him over my shoulder giving him the tiniest glimpse of my chest. Jace was almost drooling.

"Oh, this is a great view." Jace grinned. "In fact, I'd venture to say it's one of my favorites. But I'm trying to concentrate and you're really not helping."

"What are you trying to do?" I asked without turning around. I slipped one of his old t-shirts over my head, inhaling deeply. I loved wearing Jace's clothes because they all smelled so good; they all smelled like him. "I'm working on those new runes you created." Jace replied. He frowned down at the work in front of him. "I'm trying to figure out all of their uses."

"Have you tried-?" I started, only to be interrupted by the blonde behind me.

"I've only just started, Clary." Jace frowned. "I haven't tried anything yet. And your clothes, or lack thereof, got me sidetracked for a moment."

"It was a moment worth repeating, don't you think?" I smirked knowingly. "You can work on that later Jace. For now, come here."

"Clary…"

"Come _on_, Jace!" I sighed. "We've all been on edge lately. Now that the demon's finally gone, I think that we should celebrate."

"Mhmm," Jace said thoughtfully. "And what, exactly would this celebrating entail?"

"Oh, I couldn't possibly tell you." I grinned teasingly. "That would ruin the surprise."

"Surprise?" Jace's angular features were looking more and more entranced by the moment. He had paused at my tone, the scratching of his stele against the hit of the knife ceasing suddenly.

"Are you scared, Jacey?" I taunted. "You should never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the ark. Professionals built the Titanic."

"First of all," Jace objected, "I'm not scared of anything. I'm not scared of demons, Maryse, or Valentine, and I'm sure as heck not scared of my own girlfriend. And second of all, the arc? We're not in math class, Clary."

"No," I frowned. He was totally ruining the mood. "It's the… you know what? Never mind." He grinned smugly, folding his arms behind his head in amusement. I resisted the urge to smack him upside the head**. "**You think you're clever, don't you?" I asked sweetly. "Well, you're not."

"Hey! I object to that. I am clever. Really clever. I'm so clever that sometimes I don't understand a word of what I'm saying."

"Jace..." I smiled innocently.

"What?"

"Shut up."

He had been sitting at my desk for over an hour, and at first, he seemed completely oblivious to all my attempts to engage him in conversation. Normally I had the majority of his attention, even when we were arguing. But tonight, he seemed distracted. It wasn't until I decided to change in front of him, just to see if he was paying me any mind that I had gained his attention.

He picked the worst possible night to be distant. I wanted to remember this night forever. Not only was it exactly one week after a group of the youngest Shadowhunters alive managed to kill their second Greater Demon, but it was also special for another reason. A reason that I had forgotten about until my mom and Luke reminded me this morning when they had presented me with a cake.

You see, today was my birthday. It was two years to the day after Jace and I had shared our first kiss in the greenhouse on the roof of the Institute. That night was always special to me because it was the first time I was attracted to Jace because of his personality instead of his alarmingly good looks. Tonight, I had planned to give Jace something I could never give anyone else: my virginity.

But he didn't even remember my birthday.

"Clary?" Jace eyed me with a puzzled expression. "Are you okay?" He pulled me closer, plopping me down in his lap, but not before he put whatever he had been working on out of my line of sight. He teased my wrist with his fingertip, wearing a tragically innocent look on his face.

"It's nothing." I sighed. I burrowed my face into his warm shoulder and relaxed in his arms. Mmm, he smelled so good. I snuggled closer, wanting to purr.

"I have ways of getting you to talk," Jace gave me a lopsided smile.

"If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong." I mumbled into his chest.

"Actually, if you agreed with me, we would both be right. Because I'm always right." Jace responded. "It's one of the perks that comes with being so awesome."

I didn't deign to comment on that. I only replied, "No arguing. We're supposed to be celebrating."

"I'm not arguing." Jace argued. "I'm just offering a ridiculously contrary point of view."

"That's arguing." I informed him. I felt an involuntary smile tug at the corners of my lips.

"It made you laugh." Jace pointed out. "And that was my goal." His eyes glowed in the dim light of my room. The small desk lamp didn't provide much light. Jace's eyes glowed golden in the darkness, a mischievous glint sparked on their surfaces. "Now close your eyes." He whispered in my ear.

"Why?" I asked curiously.

"Because I asked you to." His signature cocky smile had found its way to his lips. "You should trust me. I'd walk through the rain at three a.m. to see you, fighting demons the whole way. The only thing that could stop me was your parents, and luckily, they don't know I'm here."

Reluctantly, I let my eyes drift closed, only to quickly open them as Jace's laughter rang across the room. "Um, Clary," he started, "You're going to have to get off of me."Clambering to my feet, I shot him one quick puzzled look before closing my eyes once again.

I could hear Jace's near-silent footsteps as he padded across my room. The footsteps came back towards me, and I felt something being tied gently over my eyes. "Jace…" I said warily. "What is this?"

"You'll see." He replied cryptically. The sound of his footsteps drifted away again and I could hear him shuffling things around on my desk. "Okay," The sound of his voice was comforting, despite the fact that he was the one who covered my eyes in the first place. "Let's go."

"Go?" I asked worriedly. "Go where?"

"All in good time, Clary, all in good time."

He placed a hand on either one of my shoulders and aimed me in the direction of the door. As soon as I stepped through, I heard a loud whooshing sound, and I was knocked onto the floor. Jace and I landed in one big heap on the soft, plush carpet. Wait, a second. Carpet? The floors in my room were wooden.

"What was that?" I demanded, ripping the blindfold off of my face.

Jace sighed dramatically. "This is not how I planned it."

"Planned what?" I asked, realizing for the first time that we were in Jace's room. I scrambled to my feet and looked around. The room was dimly lit with candles, and decorated in a way that told me Jace had enlisted Magnus to help. The decorations were adorable. They were romantic. They were quite a big deal coming from someone who I thought had forgotten my birthday.

"How do you like it?" Jace asked, pulling himself to his feet. It may have been my imagination, but I thought I detected a hint of vulnerability in his tone. He was afraid that I wouldn't like it.

I felt a slow smile spread across my face. "I absolutely love it, and I especially love that you remembered!"

"How could I forget?" Jace responded sweetly. He lowered his face to mine and gave me a soft kiss. "The first time I ever got to taste those beautiful lips of yours was exactly two years ago today, Clary. Of course I remember your birthday." From behind his back, he pulled a box wrapped in bright paper. "And to celebrate the occasion, I got you this."

I smiled up at him. "I love you, Jace," I took a deep breath, nervous with where this seemed to be going. Don't be such a baby, I mentally chided myself. You want this. You want him. "I want to be with you forever," I told him, leading up to the rest of my speech.

Jace shot me a sultry smile, and I couldn't look away. "I'm here with you. You should know by now that, roughly translated, that means I'd rather die than stay away from you."

"Whatever happened to the 'to love is to destroy' mentality you had a little over a year ago?" I wondered aloud. My curiosity got the better of my common sense.

"One word." Jace simply smiled knowingly. "You." I knew that by now, I was grinning like an idiot, but I couldn't bring myself to care. "We're all looking for something to take away the pain. For some, its drugs; for others, it's partying; for me, it was fighting. Until I met you. You changed me, Clarissa Fray. It's one of the reasons I love you."

The present completely forgotten, he leaned down to kiss me again, and this time I responded with everything I had. Charming smiles and pretty words came easy to Jace. I knew that from the start. But the word love never came easily to Jace's lips, even around me, who he said it to more than anyone. He wasn't perfect. As a matter of fact, he was nowhere near it. He was rude, self-centered, and more than a little vain. He couldn't ever be perfect, but he tried so hard for me.

I walked backwards across the room, tugging Jace along by the collar of his shirt, our lips still attached. As I hit the bed, I felt my knees buckle and I went sprawling across it with Jace on top of me. We were kissing fervently now, his hands sliding everywhere, leaving my skin hot in the places he touched.

"I've wanted this for so long, Clary." He whispered when we parted for air. "And now it's really going to happen. I get to-" He broke off, apparently deciding that I didn't need to hear the rest of the sentence. "I was just playing with words putting them together in random order," he said hastily, defensively. "You shouldn't take me seriously."

"Jace…"

"What?" He asked. His voice took on a slightly worried tone as he continued. "We can take it slow. I'm not going to take advantage of you, Clary. I can control this desperate desire; I've been doing it for two years now."

I'm sure I looked pleased as I smiled up at him. "That's what you feel?" I asked curiously. "A desperate desire?"

"Yes," he admitted in a hoarse voice. A few strands of his satiny blonde hair fell in his eyes, making their golden glow even more intense and he gazed down at me.

"You sure you're not tempted?" I responded, my hands combing through his silky blonde curls. "Not even when I do this?"

Jace let out a small noise that I hoped I would remember for the rest of my life. "You know what they say, Clary. Tempt not a desperate man."

"You may be desperate, but you're smart and devious, too." I pointed out. "That's a dangerous combination. Flattery will get you anywhere with a girl, as I'm sure you know very well."

Jace raised an eyebrow. "You left out charming. I'm that too."

"When you want to be." I told him. "But above all you're sweet and devoted. It's quite adorable, actually."

"If you don't stop calling me sweet," Jace said gruffly, "I'm going to have to forego my plans and show you just how naughty I can be."

"I think I'd like that." I said. My voice came out quietly enough that Jace had to strain to hear. I felt my cheeks heat up in a blush as realization of what I was saying dawned on him.

"You're serious?" Jace asked. "You really want this?"

I nodded shyly. "Consider it a birthday present. I don't want to be with anyone but you, Jace. Ever. And I think I'm ready to prove it."

"Only if you're absolutely positive." Jace reiterated for like the fiftieth time.

"Are you hoping that I'm going to change my mind?" I pretended to be offended.

"I just don't want to pressure you into anything." He pressed his lips softly to my neck, kissing the skin there and giving me goose bumps.

"Jace," I shivered. "Haven't you ever heard that good girls like bad guys?"

"Mhmm," he mumbled against my neck. "Too bad you're not a good girl."

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"You've coerced your poor, innocent boyfriend into taking you into his bedroom so that you can have your wicked way with him." Jace said in a tragic voice, his lips still hovering above my neck. "And he's tried to say no, but you just keep on pushing him down that bad path."

"Innocent, my butt." I rolled my eyes at him. "Now are you going to kiss me or do I need to go find some other boy to 'have my wicked way' with?"

I felt a giggle escape from my lips as he leaned down to kiss me again. The kiss quickly sped up in pace. After a flurry of heated kisses and whispered declarations of love, we were exactly where we had been only five minutes ago. Only this time, we didn't stop.

**Isabelle**

"This day was a total waste of makeup." I sighed loudly as I collapsed on a chair in Alec's bed room.

The owner of the room didn't respond; he hadn't done more than groan and shift around since he had been struck by the demon a week ago. Magnus said that sleep was part of the healing process and had given Alec something to help him stay that way.

"You look dreadful, darling." A soft, lilting voice answered from the shadows. At the beginning of the week, Magnus had claimed a chair by Alec's bed and refused to give it up. I could barely see his glittery face in the darkness of the room. But from what I could see, he looked impeccable, despite the vaguely tired expression he wore. "I take it you're having boy trouble?"

"And then some," I complained. "And to make it worse, I've been…" I couldn't quite bring myself to say the word, so I settled with motioning toward my stomach. "…like this for approximately a month, and I still haven't told my parents. I'm dreading it."

"You have to tell them sooner rather than later. You're going to start showing soon." Magnus pointed out. His usual bossy and superficial manner was gone as he reached down almost involuntarily and intertwined his fingers with my brothers'. Alec didn't stir.

"Well, that's enough about my screwed up life," I said briskly, trying to change the subject. I hated the open, achy way that sharing my innermost thoughts left inside me. There was a reason that none of my relationships lasted very long. Well, that and the fact that I tired of the boys easily. None of them could ever keep up. "How is he?" I nodded my head in Alec's direction as I attempted to change the subject.

"He's going to be fine." Magnus assured me. A small smile graced his face. "A little bruised and battered, but no worse for the wear. The stuff I gave him to keep him asleep should be wearing off soon, but he'll still be sleepy."

I didn't say anything, so Magnus continued conversationally. "He looks adorable when he's asleep."

I followed his gaze to Alec's face. "He looks really… carefree." I studied him carefully. "He looks innocent. Like he hasn't been fighting for his life since he was fifteen."

"Yes," Magnus agreed. "He looks vulnerable."

I nodded. "But if you ever tell anyone I said that, I'll be forced to kill you. I have a reputation to uphold."

Alec was curled on his side on the bed. One of his hands was clasped with Magnus' and the other was tucked under his head. His dark hair fell into his face. I had never really paid much attention to Alec while he was sleeping, but now I looked at him closely. His high cheekbones and thick, dark hair showed that he was definitely a Lightwood.

It made me wonder, not for the first time, what my baby would look like. Would it be a boy or a girl? Would it have the Lightwood blue eyes or Simon's chocolate brown? I pushed these thoughts away and rubbed a hand over my tired eyes. I was seriously losing my edge. This time a year ago, I would be out, finding some poor innocent boy to corrupt or maiming a few demons with my whip. Now, I was reduced to standing on the outside while the others fought and puking my guts out at the smell of food.

Magnus chuckled softly, interrupting my internal pity party. "Pregnant girls are notorious for being moody, so it won't be much of a change for you."

"Watch it." I warned him. "I know twenty different ways to kill you using only a pencil."

"I'm quivering in my brand new Louis Vuitton's."

"You should be." I assured him.

"Now, now Isabelle, that's no way to treat the High Warlock of Brooklyn." Magnus pretended to scold me. "And on my birthday no less."

"Nice try, Magnus, but your birthday was last month. " I informed him. "I remember because Alec almost had a nervous breakdown trying to find something that you would, and I quote, 'absolutely positively extremely love'."

"That's my Allie-boo." Magnus grinned. "And it _is _my birthday. I have two of them."

"If you have two birthdays, then I look like Adam Lambert." Magnus had to be the most random person I had ever met. "But if you don't mind, I think I'm actually going to go to sleep. Otherwise, I'll look like Mom before she has her morning coffee."

"That would be absolutely tragic," Magnus agreed. I had a feeling he was making fun of me. I made a face at him, and ignoring his ever-present self-satisfied smile; I got to my feet and made my way to the door.

"Isabelle?" Magnus spoke quietly.

I paused in the doorway and turned to look over my shoulder. "Yeah?"

Magnus' usually expressive face was unreadable as he said, "If you love Simon, you're going to have to sort things out with him. You might lose a little sleep over him, and there might be times when you'd rather kill him than kiss him. But it'll be worth it in the end." Dropping my gaze to his smooth, delicate hands, which were still wrapped tightly around Alec's larger, calloused ones, I didn't say a word. "Just think about it."

Simon was the last thing I wanted to think about tonight. I wished that we could go back to the days when neither of us really cared. I missed the time when was using me to make Clary jealous, and I was using him as a distraction. Now, he actually meant something to me. He was the boy who had helped me recover from the death of my baby brother. The only one I could talk to when Alec and Jace wouldn't understand.

I went back to my room and changed into my pajamas. I tried vainly to sleep, but my mind wouldn't shut off. Magnus' words were lodged in my brain, and no matter what I did, I couldn't make them go away.

Giving up on sleep, I snuck out of my room. I wandered down the winding halls of the Institute with one destination in mind. Ten minutes and a few flights of stairs later, I found myself standing in front of a doorway. I turned the knob and stepped forward, into the darkness of the night.

A blast of warm air hit my face as I stepped past the greenhouse that used to belong to Hodge. I moved toward the fire escape at the edge of the roof. The skyline of New York was silhouetted against the black of the sky. In New York City, there was hardly ever a time when it was completely dark. This city thrived at night, and the bright lights were like a beacon. The sights, the sounds, the endless opportunities the city provided all appealed to me.

I stopped dead in my tracks as I caught sight of someone else on the roof. Standing a few feet away, staring out over the city was the last person I expected to see.

I seriously contemplated turning around and going back inside, but I then I remembered that I was Isabelle Lightwood, shadowhunter and seductress, the girl who never backed down from a challenge. "What are you doing here, Simon?" I asked, startling him out of his trance.

He recovered quickly. "Believe it or not," he propped his arms against the railing and leaned back, "I was debating whether or not to go find you."

I frowned. "Well, I'm here now. What do you want?"

Simon let out a laugh that echoed in the dark of the night, but there was no humor in his voice. "Trying to get rid of me already?" He questioned.

"No." I said quietly. "But I'm not in the mood to talk."

"Of course." Simon didn't sound at all surprised. "You have to stay in character. Beautiful, strong, and aloof. Because G—" He broke off, choking on the word God. He coughed twice, but quickly regained his composure. "You-know-who forbid that Isabelle Lightwood actually show someone that she cares."

"Did you only come here to insult me?" I glared back at him. "Because you of all people should know that I care about things. About people."

"I know," Simon sighed. "You just have a funny way of showing it."

I arched an eyebrow and tossed my dark hair over my shoulder impatiently. "As opposed to you?" I propped a hand on my hip. "You put your whole heart into things, never realizing until too late how easily it can get broken."

"The best things in life are worth a little pain." Simon said. His dark eyes lit up with an emotion that I couldn't name, and he looked more and more frustrated with our conversation.

"You already know how I feel about things like that, Simon." I sighed. "Some people say it's better to feel too much than nothing at all, but I disagree. I hate emotions. They're so messy."

That was when Simon lost his patience."If you let your guard down for one minute, what are you worried about losing?" He demanded heatedly.

I thought about not answering. I thought about running back into the building. But in the end, I caved the way I always did around Simon.

"Everything," I whispered. Simon blinked, caught off guard. His eyes were filled with some unknown emotion as he stared me down. Every instinct inside me screamed for me to run away. Those same instincts that served me so well in battle were warning me to push him away. But before I could lose my nerve, I continued. "I've spent my whole life being the bad child so that my parents would never look too closely at Alec. I had to be strong for him, to protect him. Then you came along, and I finally started to let my guard down. But almost as soon as I did, Max… Max died. And it was all my fault." I looked back out over the city, unable to meet his eyes. "And it just reinforced everything that I had always known."

"You don't have to be so alone all of the time, Izzy. That's what you have me for." The tips of his fangs peeked out from behind his teeth as Simon grimaced. Slipping an arm around my waist, he pulled me close to him. I didn't know whether to hug him or push him away. He wasn't the same person he used to be. But neither was I. "Less than a year ago, I was human. A year before that, I didn't even know you. Now… everything's so different." He smiled at me, and I couldn't help but notice that despite all we had been through, it was still the same cute, slightly quirky smile he had worn when I first met him. "Some days I wake up and think that this was all a dream. Other days, I wish it was."

I leaned into the warm circle of his arms and rested my head on his chest just above his silent heart. "A shadowhunter's life is never easy. Most of us don't even live to be forty. We sacrifice our lives for those we love. It's tragic, yes, but it's worse for those left behind. Getting too attached is fatal. I've seen the way it can rip families apart, and I promised myself I wouldn't let that happen to me."

"Why can't you see that it doesn't have to be that way?" Simon pushed. "Not everything goes down in flames."

"We don't have a chance, Simon. Not as a serious couple." I disentangled myself from his embrace. "We did a pretty good job of it for a while, but you have Maia. And I have this baby. And we both know that it's not going to work, so why can't you understand?"

"You're the one who doesn't understand!" Simon snapped. "Don't you have enough scars on you to know that things heal? I love you, Isabelle Lightwood. Sometimes I hate you for it, but I love you. It's horrible. It makes me vulnerable. It means that every time you push me away, it messes me up a little more inside. I keep going back to Maia, because unlike you, Maia actually cares for me. And also unlike you, she's not too wrapped up in her own stupid insecurities to admit it!"

Simon stood glaring at me, his chest heaving. I took a deep breath and turned away from him. "Fine." Simon said decisively. "I'll just leave." He turned to go without once looking back.

I felt my eyes start to water. I hated emotions. I hated feeling vulnerable. The feeling could open you up and tear you apart in a single second, and all you had to do was sit there while your heart was broken into pieces. Simon knew a lot about that. First, Clary had rejected him, and now, I was running away. I wanted to tell him the truth and let him know how I felt, but I wasn't willing to open myself up to that type of pain.

His words echoed in my ears. Scars. I was covered with them. I fought demons all the time, never once entertaining the thought that I might fail. That I might even die. That was the way Simon seemed to be with love.

"Wait!" I called after him.

He stopped in his tracks but didn't turn around.

"Don't leave."

I don't know what he was expecting me to say, but this obviously wasn't it. He let out a snort and said, "I don't know why I expected anything more of you. I should know better by now."

"Simon." I crossed the roof in five long strides and caught hold of his arm before he could leave again. "I'm trying to tell you this in the only way I know how. I want you to stay. I can't promise that I'll always drop my guard or that I'll always tell you how I feel. That's just not me… but I do… I do love you."

Simon didn't react at first, but as I looked at him hopefully, he a slow grin spread over his face. "You love me?" He asked, almost as if he didn't believe it.

I nodded. "I love you. Madly, deeply, passionately."

Simon grinned infectiously and laced his fingers with mine. He cupped his other hand around his mouth and shouted, "Isabelle Lightwood loves Simon Lewis!"

I pulled him close to me and shushed him. "Keep your voice down, Simon. You can tell the whole world in the morning, when they won't kill you for waking them up."

"I don't care who I wake up!" Simon said, totally ignoring my warning to keep his voice down. "I love Isabelle Lightwood!" He shouted again. "And she's going to have my baby!"

"She's what?" The alarmed voice came from behind us.

Oops.

**_Obviously, this isn't the last chapter. I couldn't fit everything into this one (it's over 5,000 words!), so I just decided to split it into two. There will be some Jace and Clary fluff in the next one, but other than that I have no idea what I'm going to do to end it. Wish me luck! :)_**


	41. Chapter 41

_**As a not-so-pleased reviewer reminded me in response to the last chapter, not all of the quotes in this story are mine. Generally, I use one or two quotes that aren't mine per chapter. Because this is **_**FAN**_**fiction, and I **_**obviously **_**don't own it, I've never really bothered to credit them before. Truthfully, I can't even remember where most of them came from. **_

_**Thanks soooooo much to everyone who reviewed or favorited (is that a word?) or anything like that! It's taken me practically ten months to write this, and I cannot tell you how glad I am to finish it! It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside… and that sounds kinda weird. But speaking of warm fuzzy feelings, this chapter picks up with Jace and Clary…**_

"Clary," Jace's soft voice murmured. It cut through my sleepy thoughts despite my attempts to ignore it.

"Mmmphf." I gave a noncommittal grunt and rolled over onto my stomach. Burrowing my face into my pillow, I pushed him away and closed my eyes tightly.

"Clary," Jace repeated again. His tone was louder this time, and his warm breath fanned across my face. In my sleepy state, I tried to ignore the sudden warmth caused by his lips on my neck. But Jace decided to be persistent. His mouth moved to my shoulder, and I suppressed a shiver. The combination of Jace's body pressed against mine and the draft in the room were slowly waking me up. I tried to get rid of the cold by moving closer to the source of warmth beside with me. Belatedly, I realized that the thing I was snuggling closer to was Jace's body. And from what I could tell, he was completely naked.

My eyes flew open.

I shot up in bed and searched around wildly. Jace was lying beside me on his back. Because the sheets had ended up at the bottom of the bed, I could tell that he was completely naked. Which meant that I could see _everything._

Jace was staring at me confidently. He wore that gaze that always made me feel as if I were naked. Only, this time I actually _was_ naked. Yanking the covers up over my body, I grabbed a discarded pair of underwear from the floor beside the bed. I pulled them on and searched around for a top.

"_What _are you doing?" Jace asked. I could hear the laughter in his voice.

"What does it look like I'm doing?" I asked. "I'm getting dressed."

I dragged his sheets across the floor as I got out of bed and dug through the drawer where Jace kept my clothes. I found a tank top and tugged it on. Satisfied that I was now at least partially dressed, I turned to face my boyfriend.

"Why did you put on clothes?" Jace asked. "I've seen it all before." Grinning smugly, he added, "I've touched most of it as well."

He sat up in bed and swung his feet over the side so that he was facing me. Avoiding his question, I eyed him uncomfortably. "You know, you could put on some clothes too."

"Don't get all modest on me now, Clary." He said. But he did pull on a nearby pair of underwear. "Just last night, you were in a rush to get my clothes _off._ Now, you want them on?"

"Fine," I told him. "You can parade around naked if you want, but when someone comes through that door, you have to deal with the consequences by yourself."

"I'm sure they'd enjoy it." Jace pulled me closer to him and gave me a gentle kiss. "I know I'm enjoying it already."

"Sometimes, I don't know whether to kiss you or point a dagger at you." I shook my head at him.

"Personally, I'm a fan of the first option." Jace grinned confidently. "But I'm not exactly opposed to the second one."

I rolled my eyes. My boyfriend was probably one of the few people in the world who would get all hot and bothered if his girlfriend pointed a knife at him and tried to kill him with it.

I forgot these thoughts and all the others running through my brain as Jace's lips met mine once again. He sank back onto the bed and kissed me long and hard. He pulled me into his lap, and after a lengthy kiss that left me breathless, he said, "We could have been doing this for months if you weren't so stubborn."

"I'm stubborn?" I looked at him incredulously. "You're the stubborn one."

"Am not." Jace said immaturely. Not his best comeback, but that may have been due to the fact that his attention wasn't completely on our conversation. Most of it was on me, because this position gave him an excellent view down my tank top.

"You never give an inch do you?" I asked, pulling my shirt up and leaning away from him.

He grinned lecherously. "Right now I know of several inches I could give you."

I pulled his hair by way of punishment for his ribaldry, but then I giggled. "What would you say if I told you that I was okay with that?"

Jace lifted an eyebrow effortlessly. "You want to go again already? I knew I was good, but I didn't know I was that good."

"If you want to be like that, you won't be getting any for a while." I retorted, inching away from him.

"Take it back!" Jace moved closer to me. "Or I'm going to have to make you."

"You'll have to catch me first!" I teased, darting away from him. Jace obligingly chased after me. I stopped abruptly and winced. My lower body, still sore from our indecent activities last night, was protesting any form of movement.

"You okay?" Jace asked, coming to a halt in front of me.

"I'm fine." I told him. Ignoring the protesting of my body (something I had become accustomed to doing since I became a shadowhunter), I climbed over the bed. Getting back into the game, Jace raced after me, both of us using our shadowhunter speed to go faster. "Come and get me!" I taunted from the other side of the room. Jace hopped over the bed and moved to catch me.

"You run like a girl." He smirked.

"Really?" I asked sweetly, "Because if you ran a little faster, you could too."

"That's it." There was a smile in his voice and even though I was teasing him, I knew he wanted to catch me, not to punish me, but to be playful. "You're gonna pay."

I put a chair between us, and he jumped around it with an "Aha!" I squealed and ran laughing through the room. I could hear him laughing and grunting behind me, just on my tail. He reached for me and caught me around my waist just short of the bed. He knocked me to the floor and flopped on top of me, tickling me.

"Jace! Stop!" I gasped, but his hands were unrelenting.

Finally, he stopped tickling me only to take up a different form of teasing. He leaned over me and kissed me gently on the nose. His body was pressed against mine, and I definitely enjoyed the feeling. I practically melted in his arms. He didn't say anything for a long moment as he studied me silently. Then, with a slight smile curling his full lips, he reached out and caressed the side of my face with his hand.

"Clary…"

"Hey! Jace get out here now!" There was a loud banging on the door and without waiting for anyone to answer; the person on the other side threw it open. "Jace?"

Jace let out a noise that sounded almost like a growl and threw the closest thing he could find at the door. It just so happened to be a book.

"Ow!" Alec's voice came through the doorway. "What was that for?" He dropped the book on the floor and looked up, rubbing his arm. His eyes landed on the two of us. I was on my back on the floor in nothing but a tank top and a pair of underwear that definitely were not meant to be seen by anyone but Jace. Jace himself was lying on top of me, wearing nothing but his underwear and scowling at the door. Alec's face turned bright red. "Oh, sorry." He said awkwardly.

Getting to his feet, Jace grabbed the sheet off of his bed and handed it to me. "What did you want, Alec?" He demanded.

"Don't talk to the poor boy like that." Magnus' voice came from behind his blushing boyfriend. "He's probably scarred from seeing parts of you that no one wants to see." Giving me an apologetic look, he conceded, "Except for maybe Clary."

"I have on underwear, Magnus." Jace frowned.

"That's great and all, but it's not exactly helping with your… problem." Magnus said delicately, aiming a sparkly yellow nail at Jace's crotch. Alec turned an even brighter red, and I'm sure my face was almost as red as Alec's. Even the tips of Jace's ears turned pink. Magnus alone seemed unperturbed. "Whenever you fix that, come find us," He told us. Closing the door behind them, he pulled Alec away.

Looking back at Jace, I couldn't help but let my eyes drop to what Magnus had referred to as Jace's "problem". Jace's ears were still red, but he quickly covered his embarrassment with his signature grin. "I'm aware that that particular part of my anatomy is highly attractive," he said as his eyes roamed up and down my body. I could almost feel them on me as his grin widened. "But if you want to fix my so called problem, dressing like that definitely isn't going to help."

"Oh, really?" I asked innocently. "So what exactly could I do to "help"?"

Jace cocked an eyebrow. "Do you want options A through F or 1 through 6?"

I pretended to think about it for a minute before replying with an answer to rival his own. "Neither." I answered. Grabbing my discarded clothes from their pile on the floor, I sent him one last wink. "I'm going to get dressed. Wouldn't want to make your hand jealous, now would I?" Leaving Jace to stand staring after me, I strode out of the room. I didn't need to look back to know that he would be open mouthed and gaping as he watched me walk away.

After quickly changing into clean clothes and showering, I went to find Magnus and Alec. I assumed that the two of them would be holed up in Alec's room doing… well; I probably didn't want to know what they were doing. As I passed by the room that the Lightwoods used for company on my way to Alec's room, I heard shouting. I wondered curiously who was on the other side of the door. Sending a nervous glance down the hallway, I let my curiosity get the best of me and stopped to listen.

"I don't care!" I heard Isabelle shout from inside the room. "Why should it matter what those stuffy old people think, anyway? The Clave can go screw itself!" Her tone was venomous, and I was glad her anger wasn't directed at me. I only knew two people who exhibited such a deadly fury when they were mad: Isabelle Lightwood and her mother, Maryse.

"This isn't about the Clave!" Another female voice shouted back. "You always have to be the center of attention, don't you Isabelle? Every time one of your brothers does something, you have to show them up. Alec comes out as gay, and now you have to go and get pregnant! Do you even know how this is going to affect the rest of us?"

Oh, crap. Speak of the devil… Maryse Lightwood was home, and she had the worst possible timing.

"I really don't think-" Simon's voice cut in softly.

"You think that I wanted this?" Isabelle yelled over him. This situation was bound to be dangerous. Isabelle and Maryse were two of the most strong-willed women that I had ever met. Neither was going to back down easily.

"Pssst!" Someone hissed from nearby.

I turned around, and my eyes landed on Magnus. He was waving comically from down the hall. Motioning me after him, he led me down the hall until we made it to Alec's room.

"So," he said once the door was shut and we were safely ensconced in Alec's bedroom. "How did you enjoy listening to that argument?"

"What's going on?" I asked. "When did Maryse and Robert get back?"

I looked to Magnus for a response, but Alec was the one to answer. "As far as I can tell," he spoke up, "Dad's not back yet. He's still in Idris, but Mom came back for some reason. Sounds like she figured out that Izzy's…" he stumbled on the words, not wanting to admit what we all knew.

"With child?" Magnus supplied.

"Yeah, that." Alec agreed. His cheeks were tinged pink.

"She wasn't quite as accepting of Isabelle's condition as she was of mine and Alec's relationship," Magnus informed me dryly. "We were plotting how to escape before Maryse chewed us out too. Alec suggested that we should probably warn you and Jace so that you could steer clear of the drama for a little while."

"We'll definitely be avoiding the Institute," Alec agreed. "Guess where we were planning to go."

"Don't tell me," I said, playing along. "You were going to Taki's."

Magnus shot me an amused smile. "Why on earth would you assume that?"

Taki's was Jace, Isabelle, and Alec's favorite restaurant. It was one of few restaurants in this area that catered to the magical world instead of the mundane one. Recently, it had also become one of Magnus' favorites as well. I liked the food, but to me, the service left something to be desired. Like a new waitress. But then again, I probably only felt this way because the current waitress had a bit of a history with my boyfriend.

In the end, I was out-voted. To get away from the Institute before Maryse decided to search out the rest of us in regards to Izzy's pregnancy, we took refuge in Taki's. Kaelie, our usual waitress, guided us to a booth near the back. Jace, Alec, Magnus, and I each let out a sigh of relief. We were safe from Maryse's wrath, at least for now.

With her thin build and streaming black hair, Maryse Lightwood didn't look very scary. Actually, her husband Robert was the one who looked intimidating. He looked as if he could snap you in half like a twig, but Robert had a quieter and friendlier disposition. Maryse had started to become more like a mother to me, but first and foremost, she was a shadowhunter. Everyone ran when she got mad. Especially her children.

"Can I get you anything?" Kaelie purred. She was pretty, pretty enough to have attracted Jace's attention, even if their relationship was strictly physical. Kaelie hadn't yet realized that Jace no longer desired her attention. Her eyes were fixed on my boyfriend, and she was trying to look seductive. "On or _off _of the menu."

Normally, Jace playfully rejected her attempts to flirt in a way that I knew was designed to make me jealous. So it surprised me when he made no effort to flirt back."Now, now, Kaelie." He pretended to admonish her. "You know that Clary is the only girl for me." He took my hand under the table and squeezed it.

"One day, you'll come crawling back," The girl sniffed.

"Believe what you like," Alec cut in. "But now, I'd like to order." He had never liked Kaelie. The two of us shared a dislike of the girl due to her prior relationship with Jace. Kaelie frowned distastefully at the dark-haired shadowhunter but took our orders anyway.

"Speaking of you and Clary," Magnus commented to Jace once the annoying Ifrit was gone, "I noticed that Clary ditch you earlier. Did your girl leave you to take care of your little problem yourself?" He teased.

Jace's expression clouded, and I resisted the urge to laugh. The only reason he was so touchy about it was because that was exactly what I had done. Well, that and Magnus' use of the word little. "Why do you insist on discussing inappropriate areas of my body?" He tried to change the subject. "I am already aware that I'm attractive."

"That's for sure," Alec muttered.

Jace continued as if the older boy hadn't spoken. "You already have Alec, Maggs. There's no need to go after me as well."

"Me?" Magnus looked as if he would choke on his laughter. "Like you? How could anyone possible be attracted to someone as repulsive and hideously disfigured as you?" Jace opened his mouth to respond, and then closed it abruptly. He looked positively taken aback.

I thought about mentioning the fact that two of the people sitting at this very table had been attracted to Jace in the past. I, for one, still was. Watching Jace's reaction amusedly, I decided not to voice my thoughts. Jace looked absolutely horrified. He glanced from me to Alec as he waited for one of us to defend him. He was out of luck. Neither of us said a word.

"I strongly object to that!" He protested. "I am the exact opposite of hideous and repulsive. I am very, very attractive!"

Magnus smirked. "Oh, I'm quite aware of that. But since Clary's not doing such a good job, someone has to keep you humble."

Alec snorted derisively. "The words 'Jace' and 'humble' don't go together unless the word 'isn't' is in between them."

"I don't have to be humble when I'm gorgeous." Jace countered with his usual grin.

There was a sudden flurry of movement from across the room as the double doors at the entrance to the restaurant swung open. A small figure stumbled through them, clutching at its side. The figure came to an abrupt halt as it slammed into a wall. Looking at the scene, I realized that I recognized the person.

"Mal!" I called. I jumped to my feet and hurried out of the booth to make sure that my little demon friend was okay.

We had left her at her home when our battle with the Greater Demon was over, and we hadn't heard from her since. I didn't think she even knew how to find us. Now, all of the sudden, she showed up at one of our favorite restaurants. Something was suspicious.

Jace and Alec were right behind me when I got to Mal. By the time we made it across the restaurant, she had risen to her feet. "I'm okay!" She announced cheerfully. "Just… a little… out of breath."

People from surrounding tables had turned around to stare, but Mal didn't seem to notice them as she beamed. "It seems like it's been forever since I saw you guys!" She smiled. "Looks like the gang's all here. Well except for Isabelle. Where is she? Is she here?" Mal craned her neck around the three of us to look. "Oh, hi Magnus!"

I turned to see Magnus making his way towards us at a much slower pace. "Hello, Darling." He greeted her. To the rest of us, he said, "We should probably go back to our table. Most of the restaurant is staring."

We pulled up a chair for Mal who began excitedly recounting her attempts to find us. Apparently, she had something urgent to tell us and had used her creepy, demon tracking skills (my words, not hers) to find us. The girl could probably talk for hours if we let her.

Magnus was listening to her with an indulgent expression on his face. He had always liked children, but then he was a very social person in general. He treated his cat as if it was a child. Jace and Alec, on the other hand, both generally avoided anyone below the age of sixteen. Well, Jace did anyway. Alec avoided people in general.

All three of them were looking at Mal with slightly amused and affectionate expressions. Looking at Malheureuse, I realized why. In battle, her strong fearlessness reminded me of Isabelle. Sitting in front of us chatting animatedly, she reminded me of someone else. Her dark hair and blue eyes and her petite, adolescent stature called to mind memories of Max Lightwood.

Jace, Alec, and Isabelle all missed the little boy dearly. Even Magnus and I mourned his death. We all missed having him around. Mal couldn't replace what we had lost, but she managed to cheer us up and make us forget for a little while.

"Um, Mal." Alec spoke up. She stopped rambling and looked up at him. "It's really good to see you again, but I can't help but wonder why you're here."

"Oh! I almost forgot." The dark-haired girl exclaimed. "It's kind of a long story, but I had to tell you guys. So I ran all the way here to find you. That's why I was out of breath."

"We have time." I told her.

She looked down at her lap a little nervously. "I kind of need your help."

"Kind of?" Jace asked.

"I need your help." Mal corrected. With a world-weary expression that told us she was so much more than a little kid, she continued. "As I'm sure you all know, most demons spend their entire existence battling for power. My world… my father's world is in disarray. It's filled with chaos. That's how demon worlds are, but normally it's organized chaos. Ever since Cacus, Belphegor, Asmoday, and Botis began fighting, that entire universe is being decimated."

"That's why so many demons come here." Magnus agreed. "More chances for both survival and power."

Mal nodded. "Lately, things have gotten out of hand. If something's not done soon, that world will crumble."

"Wouldn't that be good?" Alec asked confusedly. "No more demons to contend with."

"That's not exactly how it would work." Mal corrected. "If I can see what's happening, you can bet that the older demons have been waiting for this. Those trapped by spells or other types of magic will see this as a chance to break free. There will be a mass exodus from the universe through portals and who knows what else." Mal's earlier energy seemed to disappear as she rubbed a tired hand over her face. "Think about it this way," She suggested. "Say the world doesn't collapse. Say it pulls through. Eventually, one of the three Greater Demons won't be satisfied with winning that world. They'll want more power, more destruction. And where do you think they'll go next?"

The answer was obvious: our world. The table was filled with silence as the gravity of the situation hung heavily in the air. We were talking about the end of the world as we knew it. Demons defeating everyone, chaos and dying spreading like wildfire.

"So you want our help defeating them?" Jace asked. Mal nodded hopefully.

"I have a question," Magnus spoke up. "Where did this sudden desire save the world come from? One second, you've happily killed your mom's murderer and the next you're setting out to be a superhero." His gentle look softened the blow of his words. "It's a noble thought, but I have a feeling there's more to the story."

Mal's cheeks flushed and she looked almost embarrassed. "I've been thinking about what happened a week ago, and I keep having this _feeling._" She admitted. "A feeling that what Botis said is true. I think that my mother really _is_ alive, and I want to save her."

"Isn't Asmoday your father?" I asked. My mind was stuck wondering what this girl had experienced that made her able to discuss murdering her father as if it was a normal thing. "Why would you want to kill him?"

"He's a demon." Mal said simply. "They destroy everything they touch. They're evil." I had a feeling that wasn't quite it. To me, it seemed as if there were some unresolved bad-parenting issues between Mal and her "father".

"But you're a demon," Jace couldn't resist pointing out.

"A demon with a soul." Mal reminded him. Looking hopefully from face to face, she asked, "So will you guys help?"

We all exchanged glances. I met Jace's eye and saw the determined look there. Glancing from Alec to Magnus, I was met with similar expressions.

"We're really going to do this, aren't we?" I asked.

Everything was changing lately, some things much too fast. Suddenly, Isabelle was pregnant, Jace and I were sleeping together, and we were friends with a demon. There were so many new responsibilities, so many damaging obstacles. Somehow, we had gotten from killing the Greater Demon here in Manhattan to saving the world. It was a lot to take in.

Jace took my hand once again. The corners of his mouth turned up in a smile. "When else are we going to get the chance to kill _three_ Greater Demons?"

I let out a laugh. With all the craziness that had been happening lately, it was good to know that some things never changed.

_**And that, my dear readers, is the end of Begging for Mercy. Very cheesy and cliché, I know, but in case you hadn't noticed, I excel at being both cheesy and cliché. It's one of the reasons you love me. :) Thanks so much for sticking with me to the end! **_

_**P.S. Anyone still want me to do that Izzy fic?**_


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